SCOTLAND

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on training courses for staff in the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) five years.

David Cairns: The staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment from the Scottish Executive or the Ministry of Justice; both Departments provide access to training and development opportunities. The office incurred the following direct expenditure:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 23,483 
			 2004-05 11,123 
			 2005-06 13,370 
			 2007-07 13,969 
			 2007-08 14,041

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken up by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office encourages all staff to undertake learning and development activities. The majority of opportunities are provided through the Scottish Executive and the Ministry of Justice; but where the training need is still not available within central Government, external training courses may be considered.
	The Office does not maintain a central record of all training courses attended by staff.

TRANSPORT

Aviation

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of the National Air Traffic Services proposals on air space changes on the British thoroughbred breeding industry.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is not for the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss airspace change proposals which are subject to consultation.
	Airspace planning and regulation is the responsibility of the independent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The process for making changes to airspace is governed by the CAA's airspace change process. Under this process it is for airspace change sponsors, for example NATS, to develop and consult upon proposals. Detailed guidance is given on what impacts are to be taken into account, how they should be measured and who should be consulted. Informed by the consultation, the sponsor submits the proposal to the CAA's directorate of airspace policy for assessment against regulatory requirements. In determining whether to accept or reject a proposal, the CAA's process reflects the Secretary of State's directions and guidance to the CAA on the exercise of its statutory duties and environmental objectives.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been  (a) undertaken and  (b) commissioned by her Department on the environmental effects of gases discharged from aircraft engines.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport funds work on aviation related climate change research at Manchester metropolitan university worth about £350,000 per annum. This includes collaborative domestic and international projects on the climate science of aviation emissions and co-leading a major international workshop to assess aviation's environmental impacts.
	The Government are supporting project OMEGA, a grouping of seven universities, co-ordinating UK research and dissemination of a wide range of aviation environmental issues in partnership with stakeholders.
	The Department also supports a PhD studentship at Oxford university investigating the microphysics and aviation induced cirrus cloud.

Aviation: Health

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what issues have been considered by the Aviation Health Working Group since its inception in March 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Aviation Health Working Group (AHWG) has considered a wide range of subjects, in varying detail, since its inception. These include: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), cabin air quality, medical equipment on board aircraft, toilet facilities, flying when pregnant, cockpit light levels, seat pitch, cosmic radiation, aircraft filtration and fitness to fly travel advice. Notes of the relevant meetings are available on the Department for Transport website.
	The AHWG, through the Department for Transport, co-funded the Wright research project into DVT with the World Health Organisation and European Commission, and has commissioned research in cabin air "fume events" which is currently under way. The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology said in 2007:
	"in general the AHWG has been well received by the industry, unions the regulatory authorities and passenger representatives".

Biofuels

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her Department's projections of UK biofuel consumption in millions of litres are for  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO) came into effect on 15 April 2008. In simple terms, it requires suppliers of fossil-based road transport fuels in the UK to ensure that a specified percentage of their total road transport fuel sales are made up of renewable transport fuels. The level of the RTFO is 2.5 per cent. in 2008-09, and this is due to rise to 3.75 per cent. in 2009-10 and 5 per cent. in 2010-11.
	In broad terms, it is likely to equate to around 1.25 billion litres of biofuel being consumed in the year from 15 April 2008 to 14 April 2009, rising to around 1.9 billion litres in 2009-10 and around 2.5 billion litres in 2010-11.
	The Renewable Fuels Agency will be publishing details of UK biofuel sales on a regular basis via its website at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/rfa/.
	Monthly data in respect of all UK road transport fuel sales are also available via the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulloil.

Biofuels

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the effect of global food price rises on the Government's biofuels policy.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government take very seriously concerns over rising global food prices. A large number of factors, including biofuel demand, may be contributing to the situation. The Secretary of State for Transport has asked Professor Ed Gallagher, Chairman of the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA), to lead a review into the indirect effects of biofuels production, including on global commodity and food prices. It is due to report at the end of June. The review's findings will inform the development of the Government's biofuel policies and targets.
	Further details are available on the RFA's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/rfa/reportsandpublications/reviewoftheindirecteffectsofbiofuels.cfm.

Heathrow Airport: Security

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times she has asked  (a) BA and  (b) BAA for a report on security at Heathrow Terminal 5 in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport works closely with industry to ensure that security measures set out on the National Aviation Security Programme are delivered. The Department monitors the level of compliance through its inspectors who undertake announced and unannounced inspections and audits, and seek corrective action from industry where appropriate. We have worked particularly intensively with BA and BAA at Heathrow both prior to and since the opening of T5.

Liverpool Street-Chelmsford Railway Line

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has had discussions with National Express on measures to reduce congestion on the Liverpool Street to Chelmsford line.

Tom Harris: Following the publication of the White Paper, and as part of the intention to introduce additional capacity across the network, I can confirm that discussions have been held with National Express East Anglia (NXEA), Network Rail and the Department for Transport and that NXEA is developing the detail of its proposals for further discussion with the department.

Lorries: Licensing

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which operators of heavy goods vehicles registered outside the UK were issued with prohibition notices by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency for  (a) mechanical defects,  (b) drivers' hours offences and  (c) overloading in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07, broken down by country of registration; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Motor Vehicles: Foreigners

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many foreign-registered  (a) cars,  (b) vans and  (c) heavy goods vehicles have been found unroadworthy after entering the UK in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many foreign  (a) cars,  (b) vans and  (c) heavy goods vehicles were prevented from entering the UK because the vehicle was not roadworthy in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of foreign vehicles found by our Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to be unroadworthy were:
	
		
			  Financial year  LGV  HGV (including trailers) 
			 2007-08 113 15,009 
			 2006-07 111 13,279 
			 2005-06 71 5,396 
			  Note: The figures for cars and vans are not recorded separately and the figures for Light Goods Vehicles (LGV) include cars, vans, caravans and motorbikes). 
		
	
	Our understanding is that the police do not keep a central record of the nationality or country of residence of offenders, and so there are no statistics available relating to foreign vehicle offences which they process.
	No vehicle will have been prevented from entering the UK because it was unroadworthy. What happens—irrespective of the location—is that a dangerous vehicle is simply prohibited from further use until the defects have been rectified.

Newcastle Airport

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected change in numbers of flights  (a) to and  (b) from Newcastle Airport by 2018 is; what percentage of flights through Newcastle Airport were domestic in the latest period for which figures are available; and what percentage she expects to be domestic in 2018.

Jim Fitzpatrick: CAA's airport statistics show that the domestic share of terminal passengers at Newcastle in 2007 was 30 per cent.
	The most recent Department for Transport forecasts of passenger demand at UK airports were reported in 'UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts', November 2007, available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/.
	Table G5 shows the central forecast of terminal passengers at Newcastle airport in 2015 and 2030, split between domestic, short-haul, and long-haul, along with outturn for 2005. Owing to the tolerance with which the iterative forecasting model works, detailed results are rounded and presented at no less than five-yearly intervals. These are repeated in the following table.
	
		
			  Passenger demand at Newcastle airport, millions of passengers per annum 
			   Domestic  Short Haul  Long Haul  Total 
			 2005 2 3 0 5 
			 2015 2 5 0 7 
			 2030 4 7 0 11

Newly Qualified Drivers Bill

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what files are held by her Department on the Newly Qualified Drivers Bill of Session 1993-94; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport's records for the period in question do not show files specifically relating to this Private Member's Bill. Papers may be included in general policy files from that period, which could be established at only disproportionate cost.

Railways

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations govern the advertisement of rail services by train operating companies prior to the grant of regulatory approval for these services.

Tom Harris: There are no specific regulations that govern the advertising of rail services by train operating companies prior to the grant of regulatory approval for their services. Such advertising is regulated by the normal law on consumer protection.

Railways: Greater London

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with  (a) the Association of Train Operating Companies and  (b) Transport for London in the last 12 months in relation to the re-zoning of overground train stations in Greater London; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Ministers and officials in the Department have regular discussions with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and Transport for London on London issues.
	In the last 12 months there has been one item of correspondence with ATOC on station re-zoning. This was to agree to move three stations: Hampstead Heath from zone 3 to zone 2, Acton Central from zone 2 to zone 3 and Willesden Junction from zone 3 to the boundary of zone 2 and 3. These stations are all served by the London Overground Rail Concession.

Roads: Accidents

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) men and  (b) women were killed in car accidents in the Humberside police authority area where at least one driver involved was aged 21 years or under and (i) male and (ii) aged 21 years or under female in each year since 2000.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of  (a) male and  (b) female fatalities in reported road accidents involving at least one (i) male and (ii) female car driver aged 21 years or under in the Humberside police force in 2000 to 2006 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of fatalities( 1) 
			   Male car driver aged 21 years or under  Female car driver aged 21 years or under 
			   Male fatality  Female fatality  Male fatality  Female fatality 
			 2000 5 2 0 2 
			 2001 6 0 4 0 
			 2002 8 0 0 0 
			 2003 6 3 0 1 
			 2004 2 1 0, 1 
			 2005 12 6 0 2 
			 2006 8 2 1 3 
			 (1) Some fatalities may be double counted in the table as an accident could involve both a male driver (aged 21 and under) and a female driver (aged 21 and under).

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the level of demand for the services provided by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Demand for Welsh language publications is low across the Department for Transport and Executive Agencies.
	Our policy is adherence to the Welsh Language scheme and to that of the Welsh Language Act 1993 and we have liaised with the Welsh Assembly Government on the delivery of publicity and advertising in media in Wales.
	We also publish bilingual documents. For example the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's major documents and bulk outputs (vehicle registration documents, driving licences, vehicle excise reminders) are already supplied in bilingual or Welsh and English format to postcode addresses in Wales. This of course serves to reduce individual requests.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Abandoned Vehicles

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many left-hand drive  (a) cars and  (b) vans have been found abandoned in each of the last three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA does not hold data on the number of abandoned vehicles that are left hand drive.

Abandoned Vehicles

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 919W, on abandoned vehicles, if he will provide the information on abandoned vehicles, broken down by  (a) vehicle type and  (b) scenario as defined by the Home Office Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA does not routinely collect detailed information about the type of vehicles that are abandoned nor the scenarios of their abandonment.

Agriculture

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many new entrants there were to farming in  (a) upland and  (b) lowland areas in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on the number of new entrants to farming is not collected.
	The following table shows the number of principal farmers, spouses and business partners, split by those inside and outside the hill and upland areas which have been designated as Less Favoured Areas (LFAs), on 1 June in England in each of the last five years. These figures indicate the net change in the number of farmers.
	
		
			  Number of principal farmers, spouses and business partners, 1 June, England 
			  Thousand 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Full-time  
			 LFA 15.4 14.9 15.0 16.4 15.6 
			 Non-LFA 85.1 83.2 82.3 80.4 76.1 
			 All 100.5 98.1 97.9 96.7 91.8 
			   
			  Part-time  
			 LFA 15.5 16.0 16.1 20.0 20.2 
			 Non-LFA 103.2 110.2 108.9 107.1 107.0 
			 All 118.7 126.2 125.0 127.1 127.1 
			  Notes:  1. These data are collected by the June Survey of Agriculture. The results of this survey are subject to sampling error. More details of the survey are at: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/statnot/june_eng.pdf  2. The way in which we classify holdings to Favoured Areas was improved in 2006 which has led to a break in the series. The data from 2006 on are therefore not comparable with that from earlier years.  3. The most recent detailed information on new entrants to farming was a research report 'Entry to and Exit from Farming' which was commissioned by DEFRA in 2003. This is available on the DEFRA website at: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/reports/entryexit/default.asp

Agriculture: Subsidies

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will investigate the case of K E Lyons and Son, Sandhurst, Gloucester and their submission of field codes to the Rural Payments Agency.

Jonathan R Shaw: The case of K. E. Lyons is subject to ongoing investigations by the Rural Payments Agency.

Animal Feed

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the safety of the re-introduction of meat and bone meal into animal feed.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Food Standards Agency has funded research to assess the oral transmissibility of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) to pigs and poultry (research transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food's portfolio). The European Commission has funded research on prion disease in fish.
	The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published opinions on the residual BSE risk of meat and bone meal (The EFSA Journal (2005) 257, 1-30); on feeding fish meal to ruminants (The EFSA Journal (2007) 443, 1-26); and on feeding animal proteins to farm animals (The EFSA Journal (2007) 576, 1-41).
	In December 2007 the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) considered the potential for TSE risks associated with future options for permitting processed animal protein (PAP) into livestock feed, arising from the European Commission's TSE Roadmap. The scientific papers are available on SEAC's website. SEAC is preparing a statement for publication.
	There is also an EU-coordinated test development project (SAFEED-PAP) under way to develop and validate official testing methods capable of reliably identifying PAP from different species in feed samples. Such tests may provide the necessary control tools to allow consideration of future proposals to use non-ruminant-derived PAP in the feeding of non-ruminant livestock. Improved testing methods will also support EU-wide monitoring for compliance with the current controls. DEFRA is contributing to SAFEED-PAP through the funding of research at the Veterinary Laboratory Agency (SE1797) and the Central Science Laboratory (SE1798).

Animals: Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency plans there are for his Department to deal with more than one animal disease outbreak occurring at the same time.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA's generic Contingency Plan for Exotic Animal Diseases for England is reviewed and amended annually (as required under the Animal Health Act 2002) and covers arrangements for dealing with a range of exotic animal diseases. The Contingency Plan was used for the response to the simultaneous outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease, Bluetongue and Avian Influenza in 2007 and would be used if there are simultaneous outbreaks of different exotic animal diseases in the future.
	The Contingency Plan is subject to ongoing revision based on the latest scientific advice, developments in policy and comments from stakeholders and operational partners together with lessons identified from disease outbreaks.

Animals: Religious Practice

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations are in place to govern the treatment of animals during religious ceremonies.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 2005 (as amended) prohibit religious slaughter (slaughter without prior stunning) outside a slaughterhouse. This helps protect the welfare of animals slaughtered for consumption during Muslim or Jewish religious ceremonies, or festivals. In addition the Animal Welfare Act 2006, makes it an offence to cause an animal under the control of man unnecessary suffering. In addition, the Act places a 'duty of care' on any owner or keeper to ensure that the welfare needs of their animals are met. Meeting the needs of animals includes the provision of a suitable environment (place to live); a suitable diet; ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns; to be housed with, or apart from, other animals (if applicable); and to be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease.

Bees: Disease Control

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Office of Environmental Policy in the US on the causes of colony collapse disorder.

Jonathan R Shaw: In May, DEFRA officials met with colleagues from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to exchange views on colony losses. The USDA are continuing their investigations into the causes of colony losses, which may be the result of a combination of factors, rather than a single cause. Contributory factors being considered by the USDA include varroa, poor nutrition, pesticides and secondary viruses.

Bees: Health

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his German counterpart on  (a) the suspension of the registration of eight insecticidal seed treatment products manufactured by Bayer and  (b) the collapse in bee populations in Baden-Wurttemberg.

Jonathan R Shaw: There have been no ministerial discussions on this issue. However officials in the UK Pesticides Safety Directorate are in close contact with relevant officials in Germany.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what roll-out strategy his Department has adopted for vaccination against BTV8.

Jonathan R Shaw: In accordance with the strategy for rolling out vaccination across England, which has been developed with a core group of industry stakeholders, the protection zone is being expanded at regular intervals over the summer, enabling vaccination to take place on a progressive basis. The strategy, which splits England into priority areas, is designed to be flexible, taking into account the delivery of vaccine, take-up in the existing protection zone, epidemiological information and the location of new disease, when it recurs. The strategy is available on the DEFRA website.
	So far, over nine million doses of vaccine have been made available and the protection zone has been expanded accordingly. Initial indications suggest a good response to the availability of vaccine, and the take-up of vaccine is high.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of supply of doses of the BTV-8 vaccine to Cumbria in the period up to the end of July 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 13 June 2008
	In accordance with the strategy for rolling out vaccination across England, which has been developed with a core group of industry stakeholders, the protection zone will be expanded at regular intervals over the summer, enabling vaccination to take place on a progressive basis. The strategy, which splits England into priority areas, is designed to be flexible, taking into account the delivery of vaccine, take-up in the existing protection zone, epidemiological information and the location of new disease, when it recurs.
	Under the order with Intervet, vaccine will arrive in regular deliveries until the end of August. Intervet is currently ahead of schedule. We cannot specify at this stage when vaccination will be rolled out into Cumbria. However, on 11 June, we announced that we are placing an order with Merial for 13 million doses, eight million for England and five million for Wales. Merial anticipate delivering vaccine in regular batches over the summer, which, alongside DEFRA's existing contract with Intervet, will ensure that sufficient doses are available for vaccination to be rolled out across England and Wales by September.

Bovine Tuberculosis

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1070W, on bovine tuberculosis, in how many of the parishes in  (a) England and  (b) Wales where incidents of bovine tuberculosis took place in each year since 1997 had no cases of bovine tuberculosis been confirmed in the preceding four years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Animal Health only hold data for the seven years prior to an exercise carried out in 2004. Consequently, they do not hold bovine tuberculosis data prior to 1997.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are used to calculate the value of cattle with bovine tuberculosis in England; and what information he holds on measures used in Wales.

Jonathan R Shaw: In England compensation for TB affected cattle has, since February 2006, been determined primarily through table valuations. Within this system 47 cattle 'categories' are used. These categories are based on the age, gender, type (dairy or beef) and status (pedigree or non-pedigree) of animals. Table values are a true average of contemporaneous prices achieved for same category, but healthy, animals at a large number and wide range of cattle sales. If insufficient sales data are collected for a particular category, compensation is determined either by using a previously determined sales average or through individual valuation.
	Responsibility for bovine TB in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly. A system of individual valuations is used in Wales.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider a trial cull of badgers in Cornwall as a measure against the spread of bovine tuberculosis.

Jonathan R Shaw: Ministers are considering all the evidence in relation to badgers and bovine TB in cattle before making a decision on badger culling in England. There is a great deal of complex evidence to consider and the matter is receiving our urgent attention. There is no confirmed timetable for a decision.

Carbon Emissions: Advisory Services

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much he has allocated to the green homes service for  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Joan Ruddock: Government will be providing over 100 million in the next three years to the Energy Saving Trust to develop a proactive green homes service, based on the Act on CO2 advice line and a regional network of one stop shops. In this year alone, DEFRA is providing the Energy Saving Trust with 35.2 million, 24.5 million of which will be specifically for the Act on CO2 advice line and the roll out of the regional advice centres. Funding for 2009-10 and 2010-11 has yet to be confirmed.

Common Agricultural Policy

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 3 June 2008,  Official Report, column 854W.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were charged under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, in England and Wales, for the years 2002 to 2006 is in the following table.
	Charging data are not held by the Ministry of Justice. Information on numbers proceeded against has been provided in lieu of charging data. These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in England and Wales, 2002-06 
			   Proceeded against 
			 2002 1,258 
			 2003 1,323 
			 2004 1,342 
			 2005 1,331 
			 2006 1,309 
			  Source: Court proceedings data held by CJEAOffice for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: Registration

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the index of exempted dogs to owner-led applications will be re-opened.

Jonathan R Shaw: No. There are no plans to amend the dangerous dogs legislation to allow owner-led applications.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) original target and  (b) actual reduction in (i) staffing numbers and (ii) associated expenditure in his Department was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: This Department had an obligation under the SR2004 spending settlement, with the Treasury, to reduce the numbers of staff it employs by 31 March 2008. The original target was agreed as reductions in the overall headcount of 2,400 full-time equivalents (FTEs) across DEFRA and its agencies by 31 March 2008. DEFRA used the target to reshape the Department as well as resize, and implemented an organisation design that allows DEFRA to deliver its objectives.
	The majority of these reductions were to have come via scaling down of the operation of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), which was to have contributed 1,600 posts to the overall total. However, problems with implementation of the scheme for making single payments to farmers meant that it was not possible for RPA to make these savings. A revised target was agreed, with Treasury Ministers, in June 2007 to achieve reductions, in DEFRA and the agencies, totalling 1,400 FTEs by 31 March 2008.
	The reduction from the previous years staffing numbers in each year from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2008 and the costs of early departures were as follows:
	
		
			   Total FTE  Reduction in staff numbers (FTE)  Expenditure on early departures ( million) 
			 2003-04 13,442   
			 2004-05 13,205 237 9.28 
			 2005-06 12,983 222 7.16 
			 2006-07 11,814 1,169 14.60 
			 2007-08 10,640 1,174 52.85 
			 Total 2,802 83.89 
		
	
	The baseline against which the Department's performance in respect of the SR04 reduction target is measured is an FTE figure, as originally agreed with HMT, of 13,650 FTEs. Machinery of government changes, definitional changes in the treatment of maternity leave for FTE reporting purposes and transfers to and from elsewhere in the public sector led to adjustment of the baseline to 12,898. For the purposes of measuring performance against the SR04 reduction target, and with the inclusion of 135 DEFRA FTEs operating within the Government offices for the regions, DEFRA's total FTE on 31 March 2008 was 10,775. Therefore, the overall reduction measured against the baseline is 2,123 FTEs.
	DEFRA has achieved its reduction target through a combination of natural wastage, controls imposed on external recruitment and two voluntary early departure schemes open to applicants within the core-Department between December 2006 to July 2007 and September 2007 to January 2008 with provision set aside in the 2007-08 financial year for any payments to retirees, consequent on their departure under this scheme, which might fall in future years. The total 2004-08 early departure cost of 83.89 million (above) includes all of early departures including those in association with the earlier periods and ill health. During financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 this Department spent 14.8 million and 49 million respectively, on the funding of voluntary early departures under the two voluntary early departure schemes.

Departmental Manpower

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of his Department's employees are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) from an ethnic minority,  (d) disabled and  (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The latest available data on the disability status and ethnic background of civil servants in Departments and agencies are as at 30 September 2006 and are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as Civil Service Statistics 2006. Information can be accessed from the following websites:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=2899Pos=ColRank=1Rank=422
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/2006CivilServiceStatistics.pdf
	Declaration of ethnic background and disabled status is voluntary.
	The latest available data on the gender of civil servants are as at 31 December 2007 and are also published by ONS, as part of their wider Quarterly Public Sector Employment Statistics (QPSES). Information can be accessed via the following website:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=13615
	Information on civil servants' sexual orientation is not currently collected or published.
	In 2005 the civil service 10-point diversity plan was launched. The plan aims to make the civil service representative of the population it serves. The 10-point plan is currently being revised and DEFRA will align its strategy accordingly. DEFRA will develop an inclusive approach which will aim to increase diversity at all grades within the organisation.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to  (a) all staff and  (b) staff at senior civil service level in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in the 2007-08 financial year; and how many payments were made.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows details of end-of-year performance bonuses awarded to SCS and non-SCS staff in DEFRA and its agencies in the 2007-08 financial year. For DEFRA, the data relates to staff in core-DEFRA, Animal Health, Government Decontamination Service, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Pesticides Safety Directorate and Veterinary Medicines Directorate.
	
		
			  Department/agency  Number of bonuses   
			  DEFRA   
			 SCS 127 1,160,839 
			 Non-SCS 500 1,302,268 
			
			  RPA   
			 SCS 5 61,488 
			 Non-SCS 544 368,138 
			
			  CEFAS   
			 SCS 1 11,000 
			 Non-SCS 506 619,000 
			
			  VLA   
			 SCS 4 33,500 
			 Non-SCS 180 45,357 
			
			  CSL   
			 SCS 4 41,000 
			 Non-SCS 327 240,000 
		
	
	Bonuses are used to reward excellent performance during the year and are based on a judgment of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment because bonuses have to be earned each year. They help drive high performance in Departments and agencies and support better public service delivery.

Departmental Pay

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of employees in his Department who received a performance-related bonus at their last appraisal were  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) from an ethnic minority,  (d) disabled and  (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number and proportion of employees who received an annual performance bonus in 2007 were as follows:
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			  (a) Male 327 52.2 
			  (b) Female 300 47.8 
			  (c) From an ethnic minority 22 3.5 
			  (d) Disabled 23 3.7 
			  (e) Data on sexuality is not collected   
		
	
	The percentages shown are the proportions of the 627 staff who received bonuses in 2007. The data on bonuses includes SCS and non-SCS staff in DEFRA, Animal Health, Government Decontamination Service, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Pesticides Safety Directorate and Veterinary Medicines Agency.
	Bonuses are used to reward excellent performance during the year, and are based on a judgment of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment because bonuses have to be earned each year. They help drive high performance in Departments and agencies and support better public service delivery.

Departmental Postal Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA came into being in June 2001. The core-Department uses 'Royal Mail' and 'Amtrak' as delivery companies for overseas postal services. Information prior to 2006 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	For the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08 the requested information is as follows.
	
		
			   
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			 Royal Mail 354,993 378,674 
			 Amtrak 7,790.16 6,878.78

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on training courses for staff in the last (i) 12 months and (ii) five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: We do not have a historic record of spend on training for the last five years, however DEFRA had a corporate learning and development budget of 1.2 million last year. DEFRA does not hold information centrally on what its agencies spent on training courses.

Departmental Transport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when each of his Department's and its agencies' green transport plans were introduced; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such plan.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (formerly the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) introduced green travel plans in 1999 as part of the MAFF greening operations strategy. This strategy was revised in 2001 to reflect cross Government targets and the organisational changes which resulted from the creation of DEFRA.
	It is not possible to place copies of individual green travel plans in the Library as they are site specific, subject to local review and therefore change according to each site's local circumstances and requirements. Facilities managers at each site are responsible for developing and maintaining them. This activity is checked at all sites covered under the Department's Environmental Management System (EMS) ISO14001, during internal audit of the sites.

Derelict Land

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to develop the brownfield skills strategy; and what recent discussions he, other departmental Ministers and his officials have had with the Academy for Sustainable Communities on the development of environmental decontamination skills.

Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
	The draft Brownfield Skills strategy has been developed by English Partnerships and the Academy for Sustainable Communities. It was published on 4 March 2008 following extensive research and consultation surrounding the barriers that prevent or hinder the reuse of brownfield land, including those relating to environmental decontamination. The skills strategy is an important element in the implementation of the wider National Brownfield strategy and was available for public consultation between 4 March and 10 June 2008. The responses to the consultation will now be analysed by English Partnerships and the Academy for Sustainable Communities prior to the publication of a final strategy document later this year. Communities and Local Government Ministers and officials are in regular contact with the Academy for Sustainable Communities on a range of issues including the developing Brownfield Skills strategy.

Dog Fouling

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times the maximum fine for dog-fouling offences was ordered in Wirral West constituency in each year since 2005.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA does not collect information on the number of fixed penalty notices issued, which carry the maximum fine possible for dog fouling offences.

Dogs: Microprocessors

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has given consideration to introducing a national dog micro-chipping scheme.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government do not plan to introduce mandatory micro-chipping for all dogs. We support voluntary identification, where dog owners voluntarily undertake to have their pets permanently identified and registered on nationwide databases.

Dolphins

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dead dolphins have been found on Cornwall's beaches in each year since 1979.

Jonathan R Shaw: The UK Government has funded the UK Cetacean Strandings Scheme since 1990. Prior to 1990 there was no such scheme and strandings were recorded by the Natural History Museum on an ad hoc basis. The following table details recorded strandings, taken from the UK Cetacean Strandings Scheme database. Data on strandings recorded before 1989 have been taken from the Cornish Wildlife Trust Database(1).
	(1) We are currently awaiting data from NHM for cetacean strandings data prior to 1989 and as such the figures provided above may differ from those in the NHM database, but it is unlikely they will differ significantly.
	
		
			   All cetaceans 
			 1979 11 
			 1980 18 
			 1981 12 
			 1982 22 
			 1983 27 
			 1984 15 
			 1985 27 
			 1986 20 
			 1987 46 
			 1988 22 
			 1989 32 
			 1990 26 
			 1991 38 
			 1992 132 
			 1993 52 
			 1994 45 
			 1995 19 
			 1996 54 
			 1997 59 
			 1998 67 
			 1999 64 
			 2000 73 
			 2001 123 
			 2002 184 
			 2003 264 
			 2004 230 
			 2005 102 
			 2006 175 
			 2007 87 
		
	
	The increase in numbers of strandings presented in the table in part reflects the increase in reporting effort with the operation of the Strandings scheme. It would therefore not be meaningful to compare stranding numbers collected before 1990 (which were ad hoc reports) with those collected since the scheme started. A very active cetacean strandings volunteer group also operates in the south-west which has increased effort into reporting of cetacean strandings.

Domestic Animals: Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will establish an investigation into the animal welfare implications of breeding techniques for domestic animals.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government have no proposal to establish an investigation into breeding techniques for domestic animals.

Environment Protection: Finance

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons his Department stopped providing funding for the Atmosphere, Climate and Environment Information Programme in 2005.

Jonathan R Shaw: The project was unsuccessful in obtaining Environmental Action Fund (EAF) grant for 2005-08 because it no longer fitted sufficiently within the EAF grant regime. The priority for this round was to fund Sustainable Consumption projects and DEFRA received many applications which fitted the eligibility and thematic criteria completely. The EAF was highly competitive, with 36 of the 250 applications being successful.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications there were to the  (a) entry level and  (b) higher level of the environmental stewardship scheme in (i) lowland areas and (ii) upland areas in each of the last five years; and how much was claimed in each of those years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number of applications received under Entry Level Stewardship and Higher Level Stewardship in upland and lowland areas in each year since the scheme was launched in 2005 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   ELS (lowland)  ELS (upland)  HLS (lowland)  HLS (upland) 
			 2005 18,451 2,121 212 92 
			 2006 11,217 2,256 1,534 533 
			 2007 4,674 1,254 713 293 
			 2008 1,499 477 291 127 
		
	
	The amounts of grant aid paid on agreements in the above categories in each year since payments began in 2006 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   
			   ELS (lowland)  ELS (upland)  HLS (lowland)  HLS  (upland) 
			 2006 62,344,344 6,622,723 3,676,064 1,078,587 
			 2007 115,401,505 13,467,940 26,544,450 7,300,621 
			 2008 62,465,046 7,941,602 17,625,250 5,362,027

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the renewal rates were for  (a) classic schemes and  (b) environmental stewardship schemes in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The 'classic' agri-environment schemes (notably Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas) closed to new applications in 2004, so any remaining live schemes will have the option of moving into Environmental Stewardship (ES) only. Natural England estimates that a minimum of 32 per cent. of expiring classic agreements were renewed directly into Environmental Stewardship between 2004 and 2007.
	Environmental Stewardship was introduced in 2005. Agreements under the scheme have a duration of at least five years, so the earliest renewals will not be due until 2010. However, there were 249 'pilot' Entry Level Stewardship agreements which were set up in advance of the launch of the main scheme and which expire this year. All 249 pilot agreement holders have been invited to submit applications to renew by 15 July and Natural England is providing support and advice in the form of farmer workshops and some 1:1 site visits . We do not yet know what the final number of renewals will be.

Fishing Industries: Subsidies

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what basis de minimis grants may be made to the fishing industry under EU rules; whether he plans to provide as such funding to the English fishing industry; and what the limit is of such funds that can be paid to fishing enterprises.

Jonathan R Shaw: State aid can be paid to fisheries enterprises without notification to the EU Commission provided such payments fall below the de minimis threshold. This is currently 30,000 per enterprise over any three year period. I have no plans to provide further grants to the fishing industry beyond that already provided for under the European Fisheries Fund. For the English fishing industry this amounts to 71 million of EU and public funding.

Fishing Industries: Subsidies

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what records he holds on the level of de minimis funding given to the  (a) French fishing industry,  (b) Spanish fishing fleets and  (c) fishing fleets of other EU member states.

Jonathan R Shaw: Neither the Government nor the EU Commission holds records of the amount of state aid falling below the de minimis level paid by member states.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Surrey County Council on lessons learnt from the Pirbright foot and mouth disease outbreak.

Jonathan R Shaw: Officers at DEFRA's Animal Health Divisional Office, in Reigate, Surrey have held several meetings with representatives of Surrey County Council Trading Standards and Emergency Planning Departments to discuss a range of contingency planning issues including lessons identified from the foot and mouth outbreak in 2007. This dialogue is part of regular and continuing liaison.

Hill Livestock Allowances

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will reverse his decision to exclude disadvantaged land from the hill farm allowance scheme for 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: No. The Hill Farm Allowance will only be paid on land in the 'Severely Disadvantaged Areas' (SDA) from 2008. This decision was taken following a public consultation in 2006 on the future of uplands support, in which the majority of respondents on this issue were in favour of restricting the hill farm allowance to the SDA only. Land in the 'Disadvantaged Areas' (DA) is generally more accessible, higher grade agricultural land with more options for diversification. The model of the single payment scheme adopted in England will also, over time, tend to favour DA farmers in comparison to those in the SDA.

Hill Livestock Allowances

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on his Department's funding for the hill farm allowance scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: We receive representations on a range of issues relating to the Hill Farm Allowance, including funding, from various stakeholders. As at 10 June, the Rural Payments Agency had made payments totalling 22.9 million for 2008 Hill Farm Allowance claims.

Landfill: EC Law

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on implementation of the EU Landfill Directive;
	(2)  what his timetable is to complete implementation of the EU Landfill Directive.

Joan Ruddock: The requirements of the Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) and Council Decision (2003/33/EC) have already been fully transposed into national legislation. The measures were variously introduced in regulations in 2002, 2004 and 2005 and these provisions have been consolidated through the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.
	Article 5.2 of the directive has been transposed through the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 and Landfill Allowances and Trading Scheme (England) Regulations 2004.
	I have not held any discussions with the EU since the implementation of the Landfill Directive.

Livestock: Registration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what penalties may be imposed upon livestock owners who do not register livestock with his Department as required.

Jonathan R Shaw: Cattle are the only livestock whose birth, movements and death must be individually registered by their keepers. In English law the requirement to register is set out in the Cattle Identification Regulations 2007 (as amended). If a case is heard in a magistrates court the penalty for failing to comply with the provisions of these regulations is a maximum fine of 5,000 or three months in prison or both. If the case is heard in a Crown court offenders may receive a sentence of up to two years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.

Pets

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to investigate pet vending regulations under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Jonathan R Shaw: The timetable of proposed secondary legislation to be made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, including that which regulates the selling of pet animals, was recently reviewed. While it remains our intention to review this legislation/we will not be able begin the process during the current financial year.
	A wide consultation on any government proposals will form part of any such review prior to any decisions being made.

Recycling

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage people to recycle more materials.

Joan Ruddock: Waste Strategy for England 2007 has a range of initiatives to encourage recycling, including the need to focus on the key waste materials where diversion from landfill could realise significant further environmental benefits, which have been identified as paper, food, glass, aluminium, wood, plastic and textiles.
	In 2004, DEFRA funded the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) launched Recycle Now, with key objectives to change behaviour and encourage more of us to recycle more things, more often. Recycle Now encompasses an integrated mix of national advertising website support, and an integrated, broad-based national and regional PR campaign. 90 per cent of local authorities in England are now using the Recycle Now identity.
	According to WRAP'S research, the campaign has had a significant impact and more than six out of every 10 people (61 per cent. or 25.5 million) in England were committed recyclers by 2007. The equates to 16 per cent. more people (8.5 million) being committed recyclers, compared to when the Recycle Now campaign was launched in England in September 2004, when the number of committed recyclers stood at 45 per cent.
	Local authorities are responsible for the collection of recycled materials by their residents. The Government do not specify what materials local authorities must collect for recycling. However, Government initiatives such as performance indicators, local area agreements and the landfill allowance trading scheme should encourage local authorities to provide schemes that will increase recycling among their residents.

Rural Areas: Business

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to respond to the recent report by the Government's Rural Advocate on the potential for boosting the rural economy.

Jonathan R Shaw: I welcome this important report which demonstrates the huge contribution made by businesses in rural areas to the national economy. The report rightly stresses the importance of recognising this contribution at all levels in Government and the private sector, and the breadth of interest in rural economic development across Government at local, regional and national levels. DEFRA will work closely with colleagues across Government to reflect upon the report and take forward action in response to its recommendations.

Shellfish: Pest Control

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which rivers in the South West and southern areas host populations of  (a) predominantly native and  (b) predominantly American crayfish; and which rivers host significant populations of both species.

Jonathan R Shaw: Populations of native crayfish can be found in river catchments such as the Alien, Culm, Great Stour and Thames, although the situation is continually changing. Across the region American signal crayfish are abundant in river catchments such as the Somerset Tone, Hampshire Avon, Windrush and Eden.
	Many native crayfish catchments also contain signal crayfish, for example the Bristol Avon, but the two species rarely co-exist for long. American signal crayfish are now more widely distributed across South West and Southern rivers compared with native species.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's personnel are assigned to the British Provincial Reconstruction Team in Lashkar Gah.

Kim Howells: The UK employs a broad range of staff in support of the Government of Afghanistan to help develop a stable and secure Afghanistan. Over 100 civilian staff in Kabul and over 40 staff in Helmand are employed from across the Government, including the Stabilisation Unit, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and the Afghanistan Drugs Inter-Departmental Unit. Their roles include work in governance, stabilisation, reconstruction and development, security sector reform and counter narcotics.

Burma: Democracy

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had with representatives of Burma's democracy movement in the last 12 months.

Meg Munn: As the Minister responsible for Burma, I have held a number of meetings with representatives of Burma's democratic movement over the last year, including Maung Maung, General Secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions Burma on 7 February; Dr. Sein Win of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma on 30 October; and Bo Kyi, Secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Burma, on 15 November 2007.
	I chaired two of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's four meetings over the past year with a range of stakeholders with an interest in Burma. These have involved UK-based non-governmental organisations and representatives of the Burmese exile community, Burma's ethnic groups and the Burmese Buddhist community.
	During my visit to Thailand in February, I also met representatives of Burmese exile groups there.

Craig Alden

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will send a representative of his Department to attend the parole hearing for Mr. Craig Alden in Brazil on 26 June 2008.

Meg Munn: holding answer 17 June 2008
	Consular staff do not normally attend court hearings. Consular staff are not legally trained and cannot, therefore, comment on proceedings. In certain exceptional cases our officials may consider attending a court hearing, purely as observers. Should a British detainee or a member of their legal team ask for a representative from one of our embassies or consulates to attend a parole hearing, we will consider the request.

Departmental Pay

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of employees in his Department who received a performance-related bonus at their last appraisal were  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) from an ethnic minority,  (d) disabled and  (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not yet determined performance-related bonus payments for the reporting year 2007-08. The following data give a breakdown for the appraisal period ending 2006-07:
	2,902 (51.36 per cent. of the total number of staff who received a bonus were male);
	1,984 (35.12 per cent. of the total number of staff who received a bonus were female);
	406 (7.19 per cent. of the total number of staff who received a bonus were from an ethnic minority);
	207 (3.66 per cent. of the total number of staff who received a bonus were disabled); and
	we do not collect data on the sexual orientation of staff.
	Staff declaration of ethnic background and disabled status is voluntary.
	The Office of National Statistics publish data on the gender, disability status and ethnic background of civil servants in Government Departments.

Indonesia: Human Rights

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the  (a) observations and  (b) recommendations of the report on Indonesia of the United Nations Committee against Torture; if he will make representations to the government of Indonesia on the Committee's observations and recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We welcome the report on Indonesia by the UN Committee against Torture's observations and recommendations on Indonesia. The Committee welcomed Indonesia's accession to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2006. It also welcomed the visit to Indonesia by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr Manfred Nowak, in November 2007 as well as visits by the former UN Special Representative for Human Rights Defenders and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.
	However, the Committee expressed concerns about abuses in a number of areas, including allegations of torture and ill-treatment of suspects in police custody, the disproportionate use of force by the security forces and the harassment of human rights defenders. It puts forward a number of recommendations and Indonesia has been asked to respond to some of these recommendations within a year. We look forward to seeing the response from the Indonesian authorities.
	Our Embassy in Jakarta monitors closely the human rights situation in Indonesia and we continue to raise issues of concern with the Indonesian authorities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Annual Human Rights Report for 2007 sets out our concerns on the human rights situation in Indonesia, including reports of threats against human rights defenders. The full report can be found at:
	www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/publications/annual-reports/human-rights-report

Iran: Baha'i Faith

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of members of the Baha'i community in Iran.

Meg Munn: holding answer 17 June 2008
	The Government are deeply concerned by the overall human rights situation in Iran, including the treatment of the Baha'i community. The Baha'i faith is not officially recognised as a minority religion and consequently Baha'is are subject to institutional discrimination and persecution, for example restrictions on employment and education, anti-Baha'i propaganda campaigns in the state-run media and arbitrary arrests. We are particularly concerned that all the members of the informal group which co-ordinates Baha'i activities in Iran were arrested last month and we understand that further arrests of Baha'is have taken place in Esfahan and Ghaemshahr. The Government urges the Iranian government to address human rights concerns and uphold the international human rights standards that it has signed up to freely and regularly raises concerns about the treatment of the Baha'is with the Iranian authorities both bilaterally and through the EU. We have done so at least five times already this year. Most recently, following a recommendation by the UK, the EU issued a public declaration on 21 May expressing serious concern about the treatment of the Baha'is in Iran and calling for the release of the detained individuals.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on private contractors providing protection services for his Department in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in 2007.

Kim Howells: The information is as follows:
	
		
			   
			  Country  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Iraq 30,400,000 26,000,000 
			 Afghanistan (1)19,600,000  
			 (1) For 2007. 
		
	
	The information in the table covers contracts put in place by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London with private security companies and reflects the contract values concerned and not the actual spend. All of these contracts cover other Government Departments, with the costs thereof being shared out accordingly.
	The FCO ensures that all contracts are subject to a rigorous selection process so that we obtain best value for money. Any company engaged by the FCO needs to pass through a stringent and transparent procurement process in line with public procurement guidelines and best practice.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what private contractors provided protection services for his Department in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in 2007.

Kim Howells: In Iraq, Control Risks have provided mobile security and GardaWorld static security since both contracts were re-tendered in early 2006.
	In Afghanistan, Armorgroup have provided both static and mobile security since the contract was re-tendered in late 2006.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) ensures that all contracts are subject to a rigorous selection process so that we obtain best value for money. Any company engaged by the FCO needs to pass through a stringent and transparent procurement process in line with public procurement guidelines and best practice.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take at the United Nations with regard to the rocket attack on Kibbutz Nirim by the Izz al-Din and al-Qassam brigades; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have made clear on a number of occasions, including at the UN, that we condemn all rocket attacks into Israel and we will continue to do so. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv has condemned this specific attack.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers and  (c) officials in his Department have had with (i) governments of Arab states and (ii) the Government of Israel on rocket attacks on Israel by (A) the Izz al-Din and (B) al-Qassam brigades; what response was received from each; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Rocket attacks against Israel, including those by this group, are a regular part of our dialogue with the Government of Israel and Arab states. This includes at ministerial level at the recent Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meetings in London on 1 May and 2 May and during my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to the region.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of  (a) men,  (b) women and  (c) children in Israel who have been (i) killed and (ii) injured by rocket attacks from (A) Gaza and (B) the Lebanon in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We do not keep a breakdown of the number of Israelis killed and injured by rocket attacks. However, we understand from the Israeli Government that in the last five years 14 Israelis have been killed and 638 Israelis injured by rockets fired from Gaza.
	The vast majority of rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel came during the Israel/Hezbollah conflict which ran from 12 July 2006 to 14 August 2006 and, according to Israeli Government figures, resulted in 44 Israeli civilians being killed and hundreds being injured. There have been other incidents of rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel during the last five years, but we do not have detailed figures.

South Africa: Immigrants

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of South Africa on attacks on immigrants and refugees in South Africa.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not to date discussed this specific issue with the Government of South Africa. However, he plans to visit the country soon and will do so then during discussion on a wide range of bilateral and other issues.
	In a speech made on 5 June in South Africa, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development condemned the violence and announced a 500,000 (7.5 million Rand) funding package to provide assistance to migrants in temporary shelters affected by the recent violence. The money will be split between the South Africa based Treatment Action Campaign in the Western Cape, which will receive 200,000 and Oxfam's programme in Gauteng, which will receive 300,000.

Sudan: War Crimes

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to encourage EU and UN targeted sanctions against Sudanese officials responsible for Sudan's non-co-operation with the International Criminal Court.

Meg Munn: The UK continues to press the Government of Sudan to comply with the requirements of the International Criminal Court (ICC). We have raised Sudanese compliance with the ICC with the Government of Sudan and with UN and EU partners, including in the UN Security Council. The UK has regularly raised with partners the need to be prepared to impose further sanctions where the relevant criteria are met. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Lord Malloch-Brown, raised the need for Sudan to comply with the ICC in their meetings with the Sudanese Foreign Minister and other Sudanese officials on 28 April.

Zimbabwe: Financial Institutions

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) representations and  (b) requests for assistance his Department has received from the European Commission on the activities of British financial institutions in Zimbabwe.

Meg Munn: We have received no representations or requests for assistance from the European Commission on the activities of British financial institutions in Zimbabwe.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Crimes of Violence: Teachers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted of (i) assault and (ii) sexual assault on teachers in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The information as requested is not available. Assault or sexual assault on teachers in Northern Ireland do not constitute separate offences in legislation and court proceedings and sentencing data do not currently record the relationship between those who have been convicted of these offences and their victims.

Departmental Manpower

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of his Department's employees are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) from an ethnic minority,  (d) disabled and  (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Within the Northern Ireland Office, as at the end of April 2008, the number of  (a) male staff was 800 and the number of  (b) female staff was 1,288.
	Declaration of ethnic background and disabled status is voluntary. The number of staff recorded by the Northern Ireland Office as having declared that  (c) they are from an ethnic minority is 18, and,  (d) they have a disability is 80.
	Sexual orientation is not currently monitored in the Northern Ireland Office.

Homosexuality: Belfast

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what decisions were taken at the meeting held on 30 January 2008 between the organiser of the Belfast Pride parade and the Parades Commission.

Paul Goggins: I am informed that the Parades Commission undertook to continue to liaise with the parade organiser and other stakeholders.

Racial Hatred

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were convicted of racially-motivated crimes in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years, broken down by  (a) police command unit and  (b) council district.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not available. Legislation for racial hatred is provided for by way of The Criminal Justice (No.2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004. Under this Order, penalties for conviction for specified violent offences can be increased by the court if racial hatred, sexual orientation, gender or disability was an aggravating factor. Court conviction datasets do not contain background information in relation to the commission of an offence and it is therefore not possible to separate out convictions for offences with a racial motivation.
	Information on the incidence and impact of hate incidents and crimes is collected and is available from PSNI statistics at
	http://www.psni.police.uk/3. hate_incidents_and_crimes-4.pdf.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Merseyside

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of his Department's budget was spent on adult education and training in Merseyside in 2007.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has responsibility for the funding of providers of post-16 further education (FE) and training.
	Around 77 million was spent on adult participation programmes in Merseyside for the financial year 2007-08. This includes expenditure on FE participation, work based learning/adult apprenticeships, Train to Gain and Adult Safeguarded Learning.
	Total departmental spend on adult participation spend for 2007-08 is not yet available. However as set out in the 2008-09 LSC Grant Letter (published November 2007) the comparable budget for adult participation through the LSC for 2007-08 was 2.84 billion.

Departmental Postal Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created as a result of Machinery of Government changes in June 2007. The Department does not hold records at this level of detail. To provide accurate details of spend on sending mail overseas, broken down by delivery company, would be at disproportionate cost.

Higher Education: Admissions

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many residents of  (a) Cleethorpes constituency,  (b) North East Lincolnshire and  (c) North Lincolnshire entered higher education in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those were (i) mature and (ii) part-time in each of those years.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the table. Comparable figures for the 2007/08 academic year will be available in January 2009.
	
		
			  Entrants( 1)  to undergraduate courses from Cleethorpes parliamentary constituency, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire local authoritiesUK higher education institutionsacademic years 1997/98 to 2006/07 
			   Cleethorpes  North East Lincolnshire  North Lincolnshire 
			Of all entrants( 2)   Of all entrants( 2)   Of all entrants( 2) 
			  Academic year  All entrants  Mature( 3)  Part-time  All entrants  Mature( 3)  Part-time  All entrants  Mature( 3)  Part-time 
			 1997/98(4) 570 265 130 910 460 200 1,040 460 260 
			 1998/99 620 290 195 1,035 535 345 1,120 515 315 
			 1999/2000 650 315 205 1,050 540 360 1,210 600 385 
			 2000/01 715 400 325 1,055 630 505 1,360 720 540 
			 2001/02 620 315 225 965 520 365 1,255 665 450 
			 2002/03 710 380 305 1,030 595 470 1,370 720 515 
			 2003/04 670 340 255 1,065 560 410 1,185 660 500 
			 2004/05(5) 715 405 340 1,065 615 490 1,165 580 475 
			 2005/06 665 355 290 1,050 590 455 1,070 515 425 
			 2006/07 655 340 280 1,015 565 435 1,215 655 600 
			 (1) Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December to maintain a consistent time series across all years and are rounded to the nearest five. Figures include the Open University but exclude those on writing up, sabbatical or dormant mode of study. (2) Breakdowns for mature and part-time students contain double counting (i.e. part-time students over 21 years of age will be included in both columns). (3) Mature undergraduate students are aged 21 and over. Figures include a small number of students whose age was unknown. (4) Figures for 1997/98 exclude the Open University because there are no figures available for entrants to undergraduate courses at the Open University by local authority for this year. (5 )As a consequence of a problem identified with data submitted by the Open University (OU) in the 2004/05 academic year, a number of students were not returned as entrants although included in the total enrolments figure. However as a result, the increase in entrants between 2004/05 and 2005/06 appears greater than in reality, particularly in respect of undergraduate entrants.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Religion: Higher Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government has taken to prevent religious extremist teaching in universities.

Bill Rammell: Academic freedom is at the heart of our higher education system. Universities have the primary responsibility for determining course content and maintaining the standards of the awards they deliver and the quality of the education they provide. The standards of degrees awarded by HEIs, and the quality of learning opportunities, are subject to independent review by the Quality Assurance Agency and external examiners.
	It is important that universities are able to teach and research the wide range of theological and ideological religious views and that these views are subjected to true academic rigour and scrutiny provided that what is being taught does not break the law by espousing or advocating violent extremism.
	In January of this year, we issued guidance to the higher education sector on tackling violent extremism on campusPromoting Good Campus Relations, Fostering Shared Values and Preventing Violent Extremism in Universities and Higher Education Colleges. This document gave practical advice to universities on building resilience to violent extremism in their campus but also emphasised the need for free and open debate around extremist ideologies.

Science and Technology Facilities Council

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills who will be invited to participate in the consultation process on the programmatic review at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC); which areas are being reviewed in the developing restructuring plan proposed by the STFC's executive board; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) held a web-based consultation on its programmatic review in March. The consultation was open to all, and STFC received over 1,400 responses. The review covers all of STFC's programmes.
	The comments were analysed by specially convened panels of experts, which then made recommendations on the way forward. These panels have sent their reports to STFC's standing Science Committees for Particle Physics, Astronomy, and Nuclear Physics, (PPAN), and for the Physical and Life Sciences (PALS). STFC Council will consider the advice of these committees on 1 July.

Students: Grants

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of first year undergraduates he expects to receive grants of  (a) 50 or less,  (b) 524 or less,  (c) 998 or less and  (d) 2,002 or less in September 2008.

Bill Rammell: The July 2007 announcement increases the means-testing threshold below which full-time students are entitled to a full maintenance grant up from 17,910 for entrants in 2007/08 to 25,000 for entrants in 2008/09. The threshold for a partial grant will increase from 38,330 for entrants in 2007/08 to 60,005 for entrants in 2008/09. These thresholds relate to household income.
	This will mean that around one third of all eligible students in England entering higher education in the academic year 2008/09 are expected to be entitled to a full non-repayable grant worth 2,835 and around another one third are expected to be entitled to a partial grant of between 50 and 2,835. Until students apply for support for 2008/09 we do not know the number of students within each of the specified bands. However, a third of new eligible students in 2008/09 is equivalent to around 100,000 students meaning we expect this number to be entitled to a full grant and the same number entitled to a partial grant.

Sustainable Development: Training

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will ring-fence a proportion of his Department's budget for the delivery of training to develop skills required by environmental industries.

David Lammy: The Department's budget of 4.7 billion for adult further education and skills in 2008-09 is being used to meet the skill needs of a wide range of individuals and employers, including key sectors such as environmental industries.
	The Government are taking action to assess the skills needs for a sustainable future, and a low carbon, resource intensive economy, and what further action may be needed by employers, individuals and Government. The Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) have all been asked to input to a study which DEFRA has commissioned on the skills required for a low carbon, resource efficient, economy. In parallel with that, my Department, the Learning and Skills Council, DEFRA and BERR are together working proactively with employers, SSCs and expert bodies to develop a strategic approach to skills for a sustainable future. My Department will look to find ways to support a strategic skills solution for the environmental industries through existing skills arrangements if a sufficiently compelling proposition emerges from the work being done with employers and other key stakeholders.

Sustainable Development: Training

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of his Department's budget is spent on skills training relevant to the needs of environmental industries.

David Lammy: The Department's budget of 4.7 billion for adult further education and skills in 2008-09 is being used to meet the skill needs of a wide range of individuals and employers, including key sectors such as environmental industries. The bulk of the further education and skills budget is managed by the Learning and Skills Council, but the LSC's systems do not record expenditure relevant to environmental industries separately.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Asbestos: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many buildings in mid-Essex are estimated to contain dangerous levels of asbestos.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally.

Eco-towns: Marketing

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent on the promotional campaign Can Eco-towns be a Good Housing Solution  (a) in total and  (b) featuring Curborough, Staffordshire.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 12 June 2008
	Exact costs for the advertorials entitled: 'Can Eco-towns be a Good Housing Solution' are still to be finalised. However, we expect to spend approximately 53,000 in total for this series and I can confirm that the cost of buying media space for the Curborough advertorial was 1,250.64.
	These advertorials encourage individuals in areas near potential eco-town locations to participate in the current period of consultation, which Government have a duty to support.

Home Information Packs

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average  (a) standard assessment procedure energy rating and  (b) energy performance certificate rating was of new homes, broken down by type of landlord in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The range of SAP rating for new Part L 2006 compliant homes (minimum standards), is between 69 and 82, and new homes constructed using public funds are expected to have a SAP rating ranging between 75 and 86. These ranges fall between EPC bands B and C. The average energy performance certificate rating for new homes is band B. The next version release of the Domestic EPC Register will enable the tenure of new homes to be identified.

Housing: Low Incomes

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many reports her Department and its predecessors have commissioned on affordable rural housing since 1997.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government is responsible for housing policy in England, both rural and urban, and therefore much of the work commissioned by the Department on housing policy is relevant to all areas of the country, including rural areas.
	Specifically on rural housing, in 1997 DETR commissioned a report from DTZ Pieda Consulting, published in 1998 on 'The Nature of the Demand for Housing in Rural Areas'. In July 2005, ODPM and DEFRA set up the Affordable Housing Commission to identify ways of improving access to affordable housing for people in rural areas. Most recently (December 2007) the Prime Minister asked the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) to conduct a review on how land use and planning can better support rural business and deliver affordable housing. The hon. Member is due to report on this next month.

Housing: Standards

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding was provided to Milton Keynes Unitary Authority from the Decent Homes programme in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Wright: Milton Keynes opted to deliver decent homes through a stock retention strategy using their existing funding streams.
	The funding streams that the Department awards for spending on the improvement of council housing are supported borrowing and the major repairs allowance (introduced in 2001-02). Supported borrowing is where the Government pays the interest on local authority borrowing, allowing it to borrow for capital works to the stock.
	Prior to 2006-2007 private sector renewal funding was included in the local authorities supported borrowing. This has since moved to a capital grant and is therefore no longer recorded in these data which explains the reduction in between 2005-06 and 2006-07.
	The following table shows the major repairs allowance from its introduction in 2001-02 and the supported borrowing of Milton Keynes unitary authority for each of the last ten years.
	
		
			   
			   Major repairs allowance  Supported borrowing 
			 1997-98 n/a 2,376,000 
			 1998-99 n/a 2,520,000 
			 1999-2000 n/a 2,514,000 
			 2000-01 n/a 4,843,000 
			 2001-02 7,165,994 1,381,000 
			 2002-03 7,261,700 1,517,000 
			 2003-04 7,303,889 1,655,000 
			 2004-05 7,211,639 1,941,000 
			 2005-06 7,698,283 2,017,000 
			 2006-07 7,550,439 832,000 
			 2007-08 7,627,807 832,000 
		
	
	In addition local authorities may also borrow prudentially (receiving no Government support for the interest payments) and they can use any capital receipts they have.

Local Government

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has given on the creation of single-party support groups for local government cabinet or executive members; and whether such groups are required to  (a) hold open meetings and  (b) routinely publish minutes and papers.

John Healey: There is no statutory basis, or any requirements, about meetings of single party support groups. My Department has not issued guidance about such meetings, although the 'New Council Constitutions: Guidance to English Local Authorities', issued following the Local Government Act 2000, encourages the executive and its members to consult with whoever they think appropriate in relation to the discharge of their functions.

Non-domestic Rates

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will review the rate-free period applied to vacant commercial property; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government believe the recent reforms to empty property rates represent a fair balance between providing incentives to owners to re-let or re-develop property and providing rate relief for limited periods while they manage vacancies.

Non-domestic Rates: Smoking

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the presence of a smoking shelter outside a licensed premises is taken into account by the Valuation Office Agency when revaluing the property for business rates.

John Healey: The presence of a smoking shelter would be taken into account in valuing a licensed premises, insofar as it affects the rental value of the property.

Rates and Rating: Prisons

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether prisons are classified as a domestic, composite or non-domestic hereditaments for rating purposes.

John Healey: Prisons are classified as composite hereditaments for rating and council tax purposes.

Regional Planning and Development

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the implementation of recommendations arising from the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration to be completed.

John Healey: The Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration was completed and published in July 2007. In March 2008, my Department, with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, published 'Prosperous Places: Taking Forward the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration'. This sets out and seeks views by 20 June 2008 on proposals for implementing certain conclusions of the Review. The Government intend to bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity.

Rented Housing

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of how many private tenants there were in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Statistics on the number of private tenants at constituency or local authority level are not available on a regular basis. The lowest geographical level for which regular data are available is at the regional level.
	The 2001 Census figure for the number of private renting households in the Jarrow constituency is published by the House of Commons Library at the following link:
	http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2004/rp04-001b.xls
	Then select the tenure worksheet.
	The 2001 Census figure for the number of private renting households in South Tyneside is published by the Office for National Statistics on their Neighbourhood Statistics website at:
	http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7b=276798c=South+Tynesided=13 e=16g=369089i=1001x1003x1004m=0r=1s=1213607101 557enc=1dsFamilyId=163
	Estimates from the Survey of English Housing for the number of private tenancies in the north east and England are given in the following table. Due to small annual sample sizes, these estimates are based on a two year rolling sample.
	
		
			  Number of private tenancies 
			  Thousand 
			  Period( 1)  North  E ast  England 
			 1997-98 and 1998-99 86 2,250 
			 1998-99 and 1999-2000 94 2,273 
			 1999-2000 and 2000-01 88 2,243 
			 2000-01 and 2001-02 73 2,161 
			 2001-02 and 2002-03 81 2,174 
			 2002-03 and 2003-04 90 2,294 
			 2003-04 and 2004-05 101 2,446 
			 2004-05 and 2005-06 111 2,601 
			 2005-06 and 2006-07 98 2,734 
			 (1) Due to small sample sizes, a two-year rolling sample is used.  Source: Survey of English Housing.

Rented Housing: Fees and Charges

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what restrictions are imposed on annual increases in service charges charged to domestic tenants by local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Local authorities are free to decide their own levels of service charge increases, as service charges are a matter for the local authority in its capacity as landlord and are dictated by local conditions.

Thames Gateway: Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been distributed by the Thames Gateway initiative  (a) in total and  (b) to Castle Point constituency in each of the last five years; and to what uses the sums distributed to Castle Point have been put.

Caroline Flint: The capital amounts distributed by ODPM/CLG to the Thames Gateway area in total and to the Castle Point constituency area in each of the last five years are shown in the table. The accountable body for Canvey Island Development Framework and waterfront enhancements was the East of England Development Agency and for the Canvey Wick Biodiversity Reserve Planning, the Land Restoration Trust.
	
		
			   Thames Gateway ( million)  Castle Point ()  Castle Point projects 
			 2007-08 157.6 653,000 Canvey Island development framework and waterfront enhancements 
			   35,000 Canvey Wick biodiversity reserve planning 
			 
			 2006-07 115. 8 106,000 Canvey Island development framework and waterfront enhancements 
			 
			 2005-06 145.8 390,000 Canvey Island development framework and waterfront enhancements 
			 2004-05 136.1 107,000 Canvey Island development framework and waterfront enhancements 
			 
			 2003-04 38.4

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Political Parties: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what the document retention policy of the Commission is regarding original donation returns; what that policy was before 2004; and whether the Commission has destroyed any such returns. [Official Report, 3 July 2008, Vol. 478, c. 8MC.]

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it retains all documents which it considers to be required for its current or future business needs. In July 2005 the Commission ordered the destruction of original hard copy donation returns from political parties from 2001 to 2003. The Commission does not plan to destroy any other donation returns in the future. The Commission has retained all original hard copy donation returns from political parties from 2004 onwards and original hard copies of donation returns from regulated donees from 2001 onwards.
	Information on donation returns since 2001 is published on the Commission's register of donations, which is available on its website at
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/regulatory-issues/registers.cfm.

Political Parties: Finance

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many donations to regulated donees were notified to the Commission in  (a) 2003 and  (b) 2004.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not keep this information in the form requested. However, it has been notified of 133 donations accepted by regulated donees in 2003 and 151 donations accepted by regulated donees in 2004.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Class Sizes: Lincolnshire

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the average  (a) pupil to teacher and  (b) pupil to adult ratio at key stage 3 was in secondary schools in (i) Cleethorpes constituency, (ii) North East Lincolnshire local education authority and (iii) North Lincolnshire local education authority in the most recent period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average  (a) pupil to teacher and  (b) pupil to adult ratio at key stage 1 was in maintained primary schools in each year since 1997 in (i) Cleethorpes constituency, (ii) North East Lincolnshire local education authority and (iii) North Lincolnshire local education authority.

Jim Knight: The information is not collected centrally.
	Primary and secondary within school pupil teacher ratios in local authority maintained schools are readily available. Figures for Cleethorpes constituency, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire local authorities and England for each year requested are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Primary and secondary within school pupil teacher ratios( 1)  in local authority maintained schools, Cleethorpes constituency, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire LA's and England, 1997 to 2007 
			   Cleethorpes constituency  North East Lincolnshire LA  North Lincolnshire LA  England 
			  Secondary 
			 2007 17.1 17.4 17.0 16.5 
			  
			  Primary 
			 1997 25.2 25.0 24.6 23.4 
			 1998 25.6 25.9 25.1 23.7 
			 1999 24.6 24.9 24.0 23.5 
			 2000 24.3 23.9 24.2 23.3 
			 2001 23.8 23.4 23.9 22.9 
			 2002 23.3 23.2 23.7 22.5 
			 2003 22.9 22.9 24.2 22.6 
			 2004 23.0 23.2 23.5 22.7 
			 2005 23.5 22.5 24.0 22.5 
			 2006 22.9 22.2 23.7 22.0 
			 2007 22.2 21.9 23.9 21.8 
			 (1) The within school PTR is calculated by dividing the total FTE number of pupils on role in schools by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools.   Source:  School Census.

Education: Finance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will instruct the Learning and Skills Council to reconsider the need for a transitional year for the new post-16 funding arrangements.

Jim Knight: We are continuing to work closely with all our partners and stakeholders to manage the transition to the new post-18 funding arrangements. As set out in the White Paper, Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver, as we develop our implementation and delivery plans, a critical part of this process will be ensuring that the Learning and Skills Council and local authorities work closely together in the years before the formal transfer occurs. We are confident that these transitional arrangements will help to enable local authorities to effectively develop their capability and capacity to discharge their new role.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to respond to the letter of 30 April 2008 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on student finance applications.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying to his letter. However, the original letter, addressed to another Department was not received in my Department. A copy of the letter has now been obtained, and a reply to the hon. Member was sent on 16 June.

Schools: Isle of Wight

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with the Isle of Wight Council on levels of funding for the Primary Capital Programme beyond 2011.

Jim Knight: None. All local authorities have been advised that, subject to future Government spending decisions, the national programme is expected to continue until 2022-23 at a baseline of 500 million per annum. Decisions have yet to be taken on allocations for individual local authorities beyond 2010-11. However, we have advised LAs to plan on the assumption that there will be no increase.

Schools: Offensive Weapons

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many offences involving  (a) firearms,  (b) knives and  (c) other offensive weapons were recorded on school premises in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not held centrally. Offences that have occurred on school property cannot be separately identified on Home Office datasets for recorded crime.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Energy: Consumption

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the total energy consumption in Scotland was in the week-long period beginning  (a) 14 March,  (b) 21 March,  (c) 31 March and  (d) 6 April 2008; and what estimate he has made of the cost of energy consumed in each week.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 13 June 2008
	Statistics of energy consumption are not compiled on a weekly basis. Total energy consumption statistics are available on a monthly basis but only for the United Kingdom as a whole.

Fuel Poverty

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to paragraph 4.34 of Budget 2008, on helping vulnerable households heat their homes, whether the Government intend to bring forward proposals to introduce minimum standards for social tariffs.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have secured individual voluntary agreements with the six largest energy suppliers to increase their collective spend on social programmes to at least 150 million a year by 2010-11. This voluntary approach provides for a wide range of help to vulnerable households, including social tariffs, energy efficiency measures and bill rebates.
	Ofgem is leading the process to determine the parameters for what can be included under this additional spend and is currently consulting on a draft framework, including qualifying criteria for social tariffs. The Government therefore have no plans at present to bring forward further proposals on social tariffs.

Fuel Poverty

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent representations he has received on fuel poverty; what steps he is taking in response; and what consideration he has given to increasing assistance for super-insulation of homes.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 11 June 2008
	I receive a number of representations on fuel poverty from Members of Parliament, members of the public, and a range of stakeholder organisations with an interest in fuel poverty.
	Since 2000 the Government have spent around 20 billion on fuel poverty programmes and benefits. Most recently my Department has secured the individual agreement of the six major energy suppliers to increase their collective spend on social programmes for low income households from 50 million to 150 million year by 2010-11.
	The Government also announced a one-off additional payment to the winter fuel payment for this coming winter of 50 for the over 60s and 100 for the over 80s. And the recent Ofgem-led Fuel Poverty summit resulted in a package of measures that will help vulnerable households access the best available tariffs. Our research has shown that switching suppliers and payment method can bring savings of up to 200.
	The Government's Warm Front programme provides a range of insulation measures and energy efficiency advice to households in receipt of certain benefits. Between 2000-08 the Government will have committed 1.6 billion to Warm Front providing support to 1.7 million households.
	The carbon emissions reduction target places an obligation on energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency measures to householders, including insulation. Under this scheme it is expected that 1.5 billion will be directed to low income and elderly consumers over the three years of the programme.
	Progress is also being made in improving the insulation of social housing under the Decent Homes standard. The Decent Homes standard is a minimum standard below which homes should not fall in England, and includes thermal comfort. The Government expect 95 per cent. of social homes to meet the Decent Homes standard by 2010.
	We have no plans at present to extend the range of energy efficiency programmes.

Microgeneration

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what  (a) initiatives have been launched and  (b) documents have been published on micro-generation by his Department in the last month.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government announced on 30 May 2008 that 3 million of the low carbon buildings programme would be directed towards a pilot fuel poverty stream to demonstrate the potential of microgeneration technologies to fuel poor communities. The pilot projects will be undertaken in Wales, East Anglia, north-east England and Yorkshire and Humberside, and will also be supported by the Welsh Assembly and the local regional development agencies. The delivery bodies for the projects will also offer a range of other activities to assist fuel poor households.
	I have also spoken at a number of events including at Building Research Establishment to publicise the low carbon buildings programme and award the first certificate to a product under the microgeneration certification scheme and at the Micropower Council annual conference.
	The following document on microgeneration was published by the Department on 2 June 2008:
	08/912'The growth potential for microgeneration in England, Wales and Scotland'.
	Report on findings from research investigating microgeneration technologies and consumer behaviour. Looks at the impact of various policy options on demand, models future uptake of microgeneration to 2050 and considers the likely impact of targets on uptake.
	No longer available in hard copyweb version only
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/sustainable/microgeneration/research/page38208.html
	2 June 2008.

Nuclear Power Stations

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the level of outage was for each nuclear power station in the last five years; and from what source additional generating capacity has been drawn to compensate for each such outage.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not publish data on levels of output from individual nuclear stations. Data on recent historic nuclear generation unavailability are published in the National Grid Winter consultation report which is available at:
	http://www.nationalgrid.com/NR/rdonlyres/4B475A5C-D41A-4039-9089-30B282276577/26306/WinterOutlookConsultationReportJune2.hpdf.
	BERR publishes a table of fuel used in electricity generation by major producers, which shows the contribution to overall generation from all sources including nuclear plant on an annual basis going back to 1995. This is available on the BERR website at
	http://berr\gov.uk/energy/statistics/source/electricity/page18527.html.

Oil: Licensing

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what criteria are used by his Department to decide whether an appropriate assessment is necessary for proposed oil and gas licensing.

Malcolm Wicks: Article 6 of the Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EC on the conservation of natural habitats of wild fauna and flora) requires that any plan or project (either individually or in combination with other plans or projects) which is not directly connected with or necessary to the management of a special area of conservation but is likely to have a significant effect on such an area be subject to an appropriate assessment.
	Where the above test is satisfied, the Offshore Petroleum Activities (Conservation of Habitats) Regulations 2001 (as amended) set out the matters in respect of which I must carry out an appropriate assessment e.g. before granting a Petroleum Act licence, a seismic survey consent, a consent issued under a Petroleum Act licence, etc..
	I am also guided in the selection of plans or projects for assessment by information and guidance such as that provided by the European Commission; Assessment of plans and projects significantly affecting Natura 2000 sites and that provided by statutory conservation agencies such as the JNCC.

Oil: Reserves

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the size is of the UK's strategic oil reserves.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 13 June 2008
	The UK does not have strategic oil reserves. As a member of the European Union and of the International Energy Agency, the UK is required to hold emergency oil stocks equivalent to 67.5 days' national consumption for release in the event of disruption of international supplies. It meets these obligations by directing oil companies to hold stocks under powers derived from section 6 of the Energy Act 1976.
	At the end of March 2008 the following stocks were available to the United Kingdom:
	
		
			   Million tonnes 
			 (i) Crude oil and refinery process oils: 7.1 
			 ii) Petroleum products 6.7 
		
	
	These were equivalent to 78 days' national consumption.

World War II: Medals

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what records he holds to determine who is eligible for a Bevin Boys badge.

Malcolm Wicks: No employment records are available for those employed under the Bevin Boys scheme. Applications for the Bevin Boys veterans badge are processed using information supplied by the applicants and cross referencing this against key features of the Bevin Boys scheme.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animals Act 1986

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will add abstracts for projected licences granted under the Animals Act 1986 prior to 2005 to its website.

Meg Hillier: We have no plans to do so. We believe that it is a better use of resources to focus our energies on ensuring that as many abstracts are posted for newly granted licences as possible. Abstracts are provided voluntarily by licensees and there are currently over 1,300 posted on the Home Office website.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Devon

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 193-4W, on antisocial behaviour orders: Devon, how many of the antisocial behaviour orders issued in Devon and Cornwall in 2006 were breached; and how many offenders received  (a) one and  (b) two warnings in lieu of an antisocial behaviour order.

Vernon Coaker: 79 of the persons who had been issued with an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) at a court located in the Devon and Cornwall criminal justice system (CJS) area between 1 June 2000 and 31 December 2006 have been proven in court to have breached their order at least once at some point before 31 December 2006. It is important to note, however, that an ASBO can be issued in one CJS area and breached in another. Therefore not all the 79 persons would necessarily have breached their ASBO in Devon and Cornwall.
	Data on warnings are not collected centrally.

Cannabis: Young People

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Vietnamese children have been  (a) charged with and  (b) convicted of offences related to cannabis cultivation in the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 12 May 2008
	Charging data are not collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice. Court proceedings data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, which include information on defendants proceeded against and convicted, do not identify the nationality of the defendants.

Community Policing

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of neighbourhood policing in the creation of safer communities.

Vernon Coaker: Neighbourhood policing provides high visibility, reassurance policing in all communities, establishing local priorities with local people by engaging with the community on the issues which matter most to them.
	We know that a neighbourhood policing approach works. The Home Office evaluation of the National Reassurance Policing Programme (NRPP)the precursor to neighbourhood policing which was trialled in 16 sites in England between 2003 and 2005demonstrated that crime and antisocial behaviour were positively affected by a neighbourhood policing approach and that public confidence increased fivefold.
	There are now around 3,600 dedicated teams in place across England and Wales consisting of over 13,500 sergeants and constables and 16,000 police community support officers. For the first time ever, every household across the country now has a dedicated police team to solve local problems and has a name and contact number for their local team.
	The Home Office is monitoring and evaluating these new teams across England and Wales, through a three-year research programme, due to be completed in autumn 2009.
	Early indications show the positive impact of neighbourhood policing on crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as feelings of safety and confidence in the police. The Home Office also continues to assess police performance, including the impact of neighbourhood policing, through the Assessments of Policing and Community Safety (APACS) framework, while inspections by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary also provide a qualitative assessment of neighbourhood policing delivery.

Crimes of Violence: Taxis

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes in which the victim's occupation or the victim type was given as taxi driver were carried out in England in each of the last three years, broken down by region.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not held centrally.

Female Genital Mutilation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which local authorities have established a strategy on tackling the practice of female genital mutilation.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 16 June 2008
	We do not monitor whether local authorities have established strategies on tackling the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). However, the Home Office is currently sponsoring a series of regional seminars/road shows, designed to engage with a wide range of professionals and communities to raise awareness of the problem of honour based violence, which includes tackling the practice of FGM. The aim of these forums is to enable local partnerships to develop strategies to identify and protect vulnerable victims for honour based violence.
	As part of our commitment to address FGM we are engaging with a number of third sector agencies that work within the support and research sector of this field.
	We will soon set up a national Black and Minority Ethnic working group of Government, statutory agencies and the third sector that will promote a partnership approach to a range of issues including FGM. It is envisaged that the group will identify and develop actions and practical tools to assist victims and potential victims.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department has issued to  (a) schools and  (b) other organisations on the role of the Independent Safeguarding Authority; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: A wide range of consultation and information events have been held with employers, volunteer organisers and other stakeholders to explain the role of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and the new vetting scheme. Government guidance for schools on the role of the ISA is provided on the 'Every Child Matters' pages of the DCSF website, which also directs readers to further guidance on the ISA's own website.
	Further meetings will be held and guidance provided, to schools and other employment sectors, well in advance of the ISA's go-live date of October 2009.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to provide for the security of data held by the Independent Safeguarding Authority; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The Independent Safeguarding Authority will operate from secure premises in Darlington, County Durham. A stand-alone IT system has been developed for the handling and storage of data, including the new barred lists, at Confidential level under the criteria of the Government Protective Marking scheme. Data transfers will take place across secure networks or will utilise approved encryption.

Independent Safeguarding Authority

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the performance of the Independent Safeguarding Authority in vetting overseas workers who work with children.

Meg Hillier: The Independent Safeguarding Authority does not go-live in respect of new applications until October 2009. At that time it will take into account all information which is available in respect of applications from overseas workers. My Department is looking into how access to such information may be improved and will consider comments in this area from Sir Ian Magee's independent review of criminality information.

Offensive Weapons

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the effect of increasing maximum sentences for knife crime on the number of offences committed.

Vernon Coaker: The maximum sentence for possession of a knife or sharp instrument in public was increased from two to four years as part of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 and came into force in April 2007. The Government considered that it was necessary to make sure that there was a clear message about the seriousness with which knife possession should be considered, reinforced by the announcement on 5 June that all those aged 16 and over caught in possession of a knife should expect to be charged.
	Figures for having an article with a blade or point in a public place show that in 2006, 6232 people were convicted, an increase of 5 per cent. on the previous year. Data relating to 2007-08, covering the period following the increase in the maximum sentence, are not yet available.

Offensive Weapons

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) arrests,  (b) prosecutions and  (c) convictions there were for offences of (i) possessing a knife in a public place and (ii) grievous bodily harm with a knife in (A) Lancashire and (B) England in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 June 2008
	 The arrests collection undertaken by the Ministry of Justice provides data on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences), by age group, gender, ethnicity, and main offence group, i.e. violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, etc. More detailed data about specific offences do not form part of this collection.
	Data showing the number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty of possessing a knife in a public place in Lancashire and England from 2002 to 2006 are in the following table. Data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	The court proceedings database held by the Ministry of Justice does not hold details about the circumstances of the offences. It is therefore not possible to supply data for grievous bodily harm offences involving knives.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for possessing a knife in a public place( 1) , in Lancashire and England, 2002 to 2006( 2,3) 
			   Lancashire  England 
			  2002   
			 Proceeded against 127 6,611 
			 Found guilty 98 5,082 
			
			  2003   
			 Proceeded against 159 6,624 
			 Found guilty 136 5,165 
			
			  2004   
			 Proceeded against 188 6,987 
			 Found guilty 161 5,612 
			
			  2005   
			 Proceeded against 182 6,988 
			 Found guilty 150 5,727 
			
			  2006   
			 Proceeded against 169 7,268 
			 Found guilty 144 6,018 
			 (1) Includes the following offences; Having an article with blade or point in public placeCriminal Justice Act 1988 S.139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.3. Having an article with blade or point on school premisesCriminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (1)(5)(a) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.4(1). (2) These data are on the principal offence basis. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Offensive Weapons: Arrests

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests have been made in West Chelmsford constituency for knife crimes in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The arrests data collection held by the Ministry of Justice is based on aggregated data reported by the 43 police force areas in England and Wales. From these data we are not able to identify specific offences from within the main offence groups or to provide data at constituency level.

Passports: Fees and Charges

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she takes account of the charges made for passports in other EU member states in determining the charge made for a UK passport.

Meg Hillier: The UK passport fee is set at the level necessary to cover all the costs of passport issuing in the UK and the costs of providing emergency consular assistance to British passport holders travelling abroad. The calculation of costs on which the fee is based is checked and agreed by HM Treasury. Fees charged by other countries are monitored and the information is published on the Identity and Passport Service website but does not play any part in the calculation of UK fees.

Passports: Fingerprints

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the fingerprints of people applying for passports will be checked against the police fingerprint database; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: At present, fingerprints are not recorded as part of the passport application process, although we intend to record fingerprint biometrics in future, as part of the development of the national identity scheme.
	When fingerprint biometric passports are introduced, we do not plan to check fingerprints recorded during the application process against police fingerprint records as a matter of routine. However, in cases which cause particular concern (in the case of suspected fraud, for example), we may contact the police for information to support the examination of such applications and, depending on the case, this may involve conducting a search against police fingerprint records.

Police: Horses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) mounted police officers and  (b) dog handlers were employed by each police force in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The available data are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Police officers (FTE)( 1)  whose primary function( 2)  is dogs for 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  Functions  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 47 45 45 45 45 
			 Bedfordshire 19 18 17 18 17 
			 Cambridgeshire 19 18 18 19 19 
			 Cheshire 24 23 22 21 25 
			 Cleveland 18 19 19 17 21 
			 Cumbria 20 21 19 20 20 
			 Derbyshire 24 24 24 24 24 
			 Devon and Cornwall 48 47 48 49 46 
			 Dorset 22 20 21 22 23 
			 Durham 26 27 24 25 24 
			 Dyfed Powys 19 19 20 19 20 
			 Essex 46 45 48 48 48 
			 Gloucestershire 16 14 17 17 17 
			 Greater Manchester 116 118 90 96 87 
			 Gwent 16 15 15 16 16 
			 Hampshire 28 35 36 36 33 
			 Hertfordshire 27 26 26 29 28 
			 Humberside 28 28 27 27 27 
			 Kent 48 n/a 45 47 43 
			 Lancashire 41 35 36 30 29 
			 Leicestershire n/a 25 24 22 23 
			 Lincolnshire 22 22 22 19 17 
			 London, City of 18 17 18 18 18 
			 Merseyside 31 32 35 45 44 
			 Metropolitan Police 205 237 241 251 251 
			 Norfolk 19 22 20 20 20 
			 Northamptonshire 14 13 13 13 12 
			 Northumbria 54 60 61 60 61 
			 North Wales 12 12 15 11 12 
			 North Yorkshire 23 23 21 21 20 
			 Nottinghamshire 30 32 33 33 34 
			 South Wales 43 40 43 39 42 
			 South Yorkshire 52 50 44 48 48 
			 Staffordshire 27 28 27 25 26 
			 Suffolk 14 14 13 13 13 
			 Surrey 34 36 33 34 35 
			 Sussex 49 48 51 47 48 
			 Thames Valley 43 40 39 40 41 
			 Warwickshire 15 15 16 16 14 
			 West Mercia 35 37 38 37 37 
			 West Midlands 69 69 67 69 66 
			 West Yorkshire 62 68 61 58 56 
			 Wiltshire 15 15 17 18 18 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables. (2) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. Dog handlers including those employed for general policing, drugs and explosive detection duties. Including staff who are predominately employed within dogs sections other that dog handlers. Including those officers in supporting roles.  Note: Overall force totals including those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. The data in the function breakdown are from unpublished sources and therefore totals may not match totals found in the published data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police officers (FTE)( 1)  whose primary function( 2)  is mounted for 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  Functions  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Avon and Somerset 10 14 11 11 10 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 10 10 9 10 10 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 40 47 49 45 32 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Humberside 7 7 7 6 7 
			 Kent 0 n/a 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 16 15 15 15 16 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London, City of 9 12 12 10 11 
			 Merseyside 24 27 25 25 27 
			 Metropolitan Police 120 123 124 145 141 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria g 7 9 9 11 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 8 8 8 7 7 
			 South Wales 8 9 9 10 9 
			 South Yorkshire 16 n/a 16 16 16 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 9 9 8 9 10 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Yorkshire 26 26 26 26 23 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals in this table and totals in similar published tables. (2) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual chief constables. Staff who predominately conduct mounted patrol duties, including supervisors. Including those officers in supporting roles.  Note: Overall force totals including those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. The data in the function breakdown are from unpublished sources and therefore totals may not match totals found in the published data.

Police: Horses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the annual cost was of maintaining  (a) the mounted police section and  (b) the police dogs unit in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	This is an operational matter for each police authority and chief officer.

Police: Horses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home 
	(1)  Department how many  (a) police horses and  (b) police dogs were injured in the line of duty in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many  (a) horses and  (b) dogs were used by each police force in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Police: Manpower

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration was given to the rules regarding the local election purdah period prior to taking the decision to make the announcement on police numbers.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 25 April 2008
	The Home Office attaches great importance to adherence to the rules governing elections, and gave this issue careful consideration in this case.

Research Development and Statistics Directorate

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed in her Department's Research Development and Statistics Directorate in each year since 1997; and what the Directorate's budget was in each of those years.

Meg Hillier: The available information on budgets and numbers of staff in the social research and statistics teams since 1997 is shown in the following table. Please note that since 2004 the Research and Statistics teams have been embedded within each Home Office business area rather than within a single Research, Development and Statistics Directorate.
	
		
			   Research development and statistics teams -staff in post  Social science budgets in the Home Office (  million) 
			 1997-98 239  
			 1998-99 (1) 6.3 
			 1999-2000 (1) 5.8 
			 2000-01 356 28.3 
			 2001-02 398 29.4 
			 2002-03 386 40.1 
			 2003-04 447 32.2 
			 2004-05 422 32.1 
			 2005-06 399 38.2 
			 2006-07 276 25.2 
			 2007-08 207 15.8 
			 (1) Not separately available.   Notes:  1. The source of the staff in post figures are form 1997-98 and 2003-4 Home Office Annual Reports, from 2004-5-2006-7 returns to the Office of National Statistics.  2. 2006-7 figures exclude staff and resources transferring to DCLG. 2007-08 figures exclude staff and resources that transferred to Ministry of Justice in May 2007.  3. 1997-98 to 2005-6 budget figures for are Social Science and Statistics budget estimates for 2006-7 the figures are budget outturn for embedded RDS teams.

Road Traffic Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in England were convicted for  (a) motoring offences that resulted in a fatality and  (b) careless driving in each of the last three years, broken down by region.

Vernon Coaker: Available information held by the Ministry of Justice, from 2004 to 2006 (latest available), is provided in Tables A and B. The data in Table A relate to offences where a death is an integral part of the offence, not to other offences in which a death might have occurred. The circumstances of such offences are not recorded.
	2007 data should be available by the end of 2008.
	
		
			  Table A: Findings of guilt at all courts for motoring offences of causing death( 1) , by Government office region, England, 2004-06 
			  Number of offences 
			  Government office region  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 24 28 10 
			 North West 66 53 64 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 47 66 56 
			 East Midlands 49 40 31 
			 West Midlands 45 40 35 
			 East 30 32 32 
			 London 30 37 34 
			 South East 36 38 65 
			 South West 27 44 20 
			 Total England 354 378 347 
			 
			 Wales 13 20 21 
			 
			 Total England and Wales 367 398 368 
			 (1) Offences under Road Traffic Act section 1 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 and Criminal Justice Act 1993 section 67. Section 3A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 section 3 and amended by the Criminal justice Act 1993 s. 67. Then Act 1968 section 12A as added by the Aggravated Vehicle taking Act 1992 section 1.   Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Findings of guilt at all courts for motoring offences of careless driving( 1) , by Government office region, England, 2004-06 
			  Number of offences 
			  Government office region  2004  2005  2006 
			 North East 1,309 1,272 1,362 
			 North West 4,833 4,606 4,258 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,314 2,337 2,043 
			 East Midlands 2,142 1,903 1,759 
			 West Midlands 3,823 3,872 3,702 
			 East 3,260 3,872 3,822 
			 London 4,785 4,299 3,851 
			 South East 2,996 3,257 3,249 
			 South West 2,796 2,784 2,629 
			 Total England 28,258 28,202 26,675 
			 
			 Wales 2,242 1,903 1,756 
			 
			 Total England and Wales 30,500 30,705 28,431 
			 (1) Offences under sections 3,12 (1), 26 (2), 33 (3), 34 and 168 of the Road Traffic Act 1988; sections 59 (1) (a) (3) (a) and (6) of the Police Reform Act 2002. Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, RR. 19,104-107 and 109 and 110.   Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Road Traffic Offences: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions for road traffic offences of (i) failing to stop and failing to report an accident and (ii) driving without due care and attention there were in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 June 2008
	 Available information held by the Ministry of Justice, from 2002 to 2006 which is the latest available, is provided in tables A and B.
	2007 data should be available by the end of 2008.
	
		
			  Table A: Proceedings at magistrates courts and findings of guilt at all courts for accident offences( 1) , within Lancashire police force area, 2002-06 
			  Number of offences 
			   Number of prosecutions  Number of convictions 
			 2002 578 328 
			 2003 704 404 
			 2004 625 377 
			 2005 570 369 
			 2006 506 334 
			 (1) Offences under s. 170 (4) and (7) of the Road Traffic Act 1988  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Proceedings at magistrates courts and findings of guilt at all courts for driving without due care and attention( 1) , within Lancashire police force area, 2002-06 
			  Number of offences 
			   Number of prosecutions  Number of convictions 
			 2002 1,144 756 
			 2003 1,074 718 
			 2004 830 559 
			 2005 670 493 
			 2006 704 549 
			 (1) Offences under s. 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department was represented at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Summer Conference on 3 June 2008.

Meg Hillier: The RSPCA conference on 3 June 2008 looked at the challenges of managing dogs within our communities. Lord Rooker, Minister of State for Animal Welfare at DEFRA, whose portfolio includes responsibility for the subject matter, spoke at the conference. The Home Office was not represented.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of its time and resources the Serious Organised Crime Agency spends on tackling  (a) organised immigration crime and  (b) human trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: The Serious Organised Crime Agency's Annual Report for 2007-08, notes that 12 per cent. of its operational effort during the year had been directed against organised immigration crime including human trafficking. This relates to the overall operational work of the agency, and different operations require different amounts of time, personnel, international and national partnership working to achieve the outcome, so it does not directly translate into financial or other resource terms.

Stalking

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the consistency of police forces' practice in investigating complaints of  (a) stalking and  (b) domestic violence; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Government are committed to tackling the incidence of stalking and harassment. We have been working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to develop a national risk-based assessment form to ensure that officers are able to better predict levels of risk to victims.
	In 2004, ACPO issued guidance to all its forces outlining how officers should investigate and deal with cases of harassment, taking into account the links with domestic violence. This guidance is currently being updated to incorporate developments in legislation around domestic violence, the protection of vulnerable people and the victim's code of practice and is expected to be reissued to forces in the autumn.
	Compliance with the guidance forms part of the Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary force inspection process.

Stop and Search

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and searches were conducted in  (a) the Metropolitan Police area and  (b) other police areas under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year since it came into force.

Jacqui Smith: Statistics on the number of stop-searches conducted under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 are published in two reports on a yearly basis. The Ministry of Justice publications Report Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice, 2006 and the Statistical Bulletin: Arrests for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers under PACE, 2005-06 (both the latest available) contain statistics on the number of stops and searches under the Terrorism Act and resultant arrests. The latest version of these publications can be located at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/arrestsfornotibleoffences.htm
	(Table P3, page 27)
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/raceandcjs.htm
	(Table 4.6, page 34)
	Publications for previous years can be located at the Home Office Statistical Bulletins Archive located here:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pubsstatistical.html
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbarchive.html

Terrorism: Death

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths of  (a) civilians and  (b) members of the security services and armed forces have been caused by terrorist activity in the UK in each year since 1978.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 26 March 2008
	The term 'security services' is interpreted as the police and intelligence agencies. We are not prepared to release the information requested with regard to the intelligence agencies due to the sensitive nature of their work.
	The following table details the numbers of deaths recorded as being caused by terrorist activity in the UK since 1978. The table is broken down by year and into the categories of civilians and police and armed forces.
	
		
			  Deaths due to terrorist activity 
			   England and Wales  Northern Ireland  Scotland  Total 
			   Civilians  Police and armed forces  Civilians  Police and armed forces  Civilians  Police and armed forces  Civilians  Police and armed forces  Total 
			 1978 4  50 31   54 31 85 
			 1979 1  51 62   52 62 114 
			 1980 10  50 26   60 26 86 
			 1981 2 1 57 44   60 44 104 
			 1982  11 57 40   68 40 108 
			 1983 3 3 44 33   47 36 83 
			 1984 8  36 28   44 28 72 
			 1985 1  26 29   27 29 56 
			 1986 2  37 24   39 24 63 
			 1987 6  68 27   74 27 101 
			 1988 1 1 55 39 (1)270  326 40 366 
			 1989  11 39 23   39 34 73 
			 1990 2 1 49 27   51 28 79 
			 1991 3  75 19   78 19 97 
			 1992 4 1 76 9   80 10 90 
			 1993 3  70 14   73 14 87 
			 1994   56 6   56 6 62 
			 1995   8 1   8 1 9 
			 1996 3  14 1   17 1 18 
			 1997   17 5   17 5 22 
			 1998   53 2   53 2 55 
			 1999 3  710  10 
			 2000   1818  18 
			 2001   1717  17 
			 2002   1313  13 
			 2003  1 1111  11 
			 2004   55  5 
			 2005 (1)52  561  61 
			 2006   33  3 
			 2007   3  1  4  4 
			 Total 112 30 1070 490 271  1465 507 1973 
			 (1)( ) Notes: 1988the 270 civilian deaths in Scotland in this year were caused by the Lockerbie bombing. 2005the 52 civilian deaths in the UK in this year excludes the four suicide bombers who perpetrated the 7 July London bombings.

Weddings

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been given by the General Register Office to local authority registrars on the taking of photographs of the wedding register by members of the public.

Meg Hillier: There is nothing in marriage legislation that refers specifically to the subject of photography at the wedding and arrangements are at the discretion of the local superintendent registrar.
	Following articles in the media, the Registrar General has written to registration officers in the following terms:
	The Registrar General believes that all registration officers will share his view that our objective should be to ensure that the marriage ceremony is a joyous occasion for the couple involved and that they should be able to properly record it without undermining the solemnity or dignity of the occasion. He understands that it is the usual practice to discourage still photography during the ceremony but allow ample opportunity after the register has been completed. He accepts that this avoids any disruption of the proceedings but is also aware that there is nothing in law to prevent photographs being taken at any stage in the proceedings.
	However, he is clear that this is a decision for superintendent registrars to make locally. He also accepts that the usual practice of allowing the couple to pose for photographs with a blank register or register page protects the register from any inadvertent damage without detracting from the traditional posed photograph. This practice also conceals the information in the register itself. Although this is not subject to data protection laws, it is a common-sense way of avoiding any identification of the couple or third parties, particularly where the image may be published on social networking websites.
	The Registrar General is confident that all registration officers will also continue to ensure that all couples have a memorable and happy day with full opportunity to have the photographs they wish to provide a lasting memento.

Young Offenders: Females

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed by females aged between 10 and 17 years in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Information on the number of crimes committed by females aged between 10 and 17 years in Suffolk is not available from the British Crime Survey (BCS) or police recorded crime data.
	The BCS does ask victims of crime about the characteristics of their offenders but the sample size is not sufficient to provide reliable estimates for Suffolk. The number of crimes recorded by the police is available for Suffolk but information on the age or sex of the offender is not available centrally.
	Information on the number of offences committed by females aged 10-17 that led to a pre-court disposal (reprimand or final warning) or a court disposal in Suffolk in each of the last five years is available and shown in the following table.
	As such, these are not a measure of crime or of the number of young offenders. They represent the workload of youth offending teams and not necessarily the level or variation in crime or offending.
	
		
			  Number of offences resulting in a disposal in Suffolk in which the offender was a female aged 10-17 
			   Number 
			 2003 941 
			 2004 932 
			 2005 872 
			 2006 969 
			 2007 790 
			  Source:  Youth Justice Board

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of  (a) 5.56,  (b) 7.62 and  (c) .5 calibre ammunition were fired in each of the last six months by British troops in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: Between December 2007 and May 2008 inclusive, British troops in Afghanistan used some 980,000 rounds of 5.56 mm calibre, 930,000 rounds of 7.62 mm calibre, and 186,000 rounds of 12.72 mm calibre, also known as .5, 0.50, or 50 calibre.
	This is broken down for use by month in the following table, rounded to the nearest thousand:
	
		
			   Number of rounds of ammunition used 
			  Month  5.56mm  7.62mm  12.72mm 
			 December 83,000 78,000 22,000 
			 January 72,000 65,000 6,000 
			 February 92,000 87,000 15,000 
			 March 400,000 460,000 62,000 
			 April 290,000 210,000 73,000 
			 May 48,000 27,000 8,000 
		
	
	These data includes rounds used in training, as well as operational usage.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2008,  Official Report, column 662W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, for what reasons his Department changed supplier for civilian air transport for the International Security Assistance Force in southern Afghanistan from the Mesopotamia Group to Skylink.

Des Browne: The civilian logistic aviation support contract for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan is managed by NATO. It was a NATO decision to change contractors.

Aircraft Carriers

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the  (a) design-phase and  (b) subsequent phases of the aircraft carrier construction project of the decision of the French government not to order a second aircraft carrier.

Bob Ainsworth: The French Government has yet to announce a decision on the future of a second aircraft carrier. In the event of France deciding not to proceed with construction of a second aircraft carrier, the design phase, subsequent phases of construction and the in-service dates of the UK's aircraft carriers remain unaffected.

Aircraft Carriers

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what co-operation exists between the Government and the government of France on the Super Carrier project.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 16 June 2008
	Our co-operation with France on the future aircraft carrier project is governed by the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2006. This provides for sharing of a common baseline design with the French PA2 carrier project and allows us to explore potential savings, to both countries, through shared procurement and support of equipment.

Aircraft Carriers: Procurement

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the most recent forecast dates are for  (a) beginning of construction,  (b) completion of construction,  (c) completion of sea trials and  (d) coming into service of the two new aircraft carriers.

Bob Ainsworth: Construction of the new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, is currently scheduled to commence during 2008 and 2009 and to complete during 2014 and 2015 respectively. Completion of sea trials and entry into service, for each of the ships, will occur in 2014 and 2016 respectively.

Amphibious Vehicles: Procurement

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made towards providing eight amphibious ships as referred to in the Strategic Defence Review 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: The modernisation of the Royal Navy's amphibious fleet was completed in 2007 with the introduction into service of the Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) RFA Lyme Bay. The improved capability of the new amphibious ships compared to their predecessors mean that there are no plans to expand the fleet beyond the seven ships presently in service.

Armed Forces: Aviation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are circumstances in which service personnel are required to pay  (a) in part and  (b) in entirety for an air ticket to return to the UK following the end of a tour of active service abroad.

Bob Ainsworth: MOD fully funds the cost both of travel from and return to the UK for service personnel posted abroad on active duty (including on operations). In addition, personnel serving abroad are entitled to claim Get You Home (Overseas) which assists with the cost of one leave return journey to the UK per assignment year from their overseas duty station.

Armed Forces: Parcels

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which British Forces Post Office numbers do not receive free parcels; what criteria determine who  (a) does and  (b) does not qualify for free parcels; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: There is no free parcel (items 2-30 kg) service to British Forces Post Office locations, only a free packet (items up to 2 kg) service. The following British Forces Post Office numbers do not currently receive free packets:
	2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 28, 30, 31, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 44, 47, 49, 50, 52, 53, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 63, 65, 105, 109, 113, 115, 140, 150, 200, 204, 205, 208, 210, 212, 214, 222, 229, 231, 241, 243, 248, 251, 252, 255, 256, 261, 270, 271, 272, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 285, 288, 289, 292, 300, 305, 309, 318, 324, 327, 334, 335, 338, 345, 346, 350, 357, 358, 361, 362, 363, 366, 369, 375, 376, 377, 378, 380, 381, 382, 384, 386, 387, 389, 390, 391, 395, 396, 398, 399, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 412, 418, 419, 420, 421, 423, 426, 430, 431, 434, 435, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 446, 447, 448, 449, 452, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, 482, 485, 487, 488, 489, 490, 492, 494, 495, 537, 555, 559, 567, 589, 599, 615, 622, 628, 651, 655, 670, 677, 700, 747, 777, 785, 786, 794, 801, 802, 805, 806, 808, 825, 1000, 1001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
	Free packet post is only available to those personnel serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan theatres. All other personnel receive letters, packets and parcels at a subsidised rate which means that the sender only pays the UK domestic inland postage charge regardless of where in the world an item is sent. A six week free service is available in the pre-Christmas period for many locations that do not have an enduring free service, such as deployed ships, the Falkland Islands and Diego Garcia.

Armed Forces: Parcels

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that all British troops serving in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan receive their entitlement of free family parcels; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Mail posted from anywhere within the United Kingdom typically takes three to seven days to reach Iraq and Afghanistan. All British Forces Post Office addressed mail is delivered several times daily to the British Forces Post Office depot at Northolt for sorting and onward transmission to its final destination. All mail for Iraq and Afghanistan is bagged, loaded daily onto road transport and driven to Royal Air Force Brize Norton or Royal Air Force Lyneham for loading on to military or charter flights to the operational theatres.
	The British Forces Post Offices in the theatres seek to clear the mail daily. This is usually achieved in Iraq due to the collocation of the majority of British forces in the Basra base. However, in Afghanistan the onward transmission of mail can be delayed because mail for units deployed to forward positions has to be transported by helicopter for the final leg of delivery. Although all steps are taken to ensure timely delivery, mail transported by helicopter comes behind ammunition, medical supplies and food in order of priority.

Armed Forces: Pay

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the percentage increase in  (a) the rate of inflation and  (b) service pay in (i) real and (ii) nominal terms was between 2007 and 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: The percentage increase in the consumer prices index for the first quarter of 2008 compared with the first quarter of 2007 was 2.4 per cent.
	In February 2008, the Government accepted in full the Armed Forces Pay Review Body recommendations of a nominal pay rise of 2.6 per cent. for all servicemen and women.
	This increase was implemented from 1 April 2008 and will be paid throughout the 2008-09 financial year. As such, the calculation of real increase should be based on financial years. The inflation rate for 2008-09 is not yet known and hence it is not yet possible to calculate the real increase between the financial years 2008-09 and 2007-08.

AWE Burghfield: Manpower

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff there were at AWE Burghfield in each year since 2003; and what the reasons were for changes in the levels of staffing.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of full-time equivalent staff employed by AWE plc at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield is shown in the following table. The figures are taken as at the end of March in each year.
	
		
			   Manpower level 
			 2003 308 
			 2004 286 
			 2005 295 
			 2006 315 
			 2007 341 
			 2008 344 
		
	
	The increase in staffing levels over the past years is consistent with the Government's commitment to take forward a programme of investment in sustaining key skills and facilities at AWE. The investment will ensure that the existing Trident stockpile can be maintained throughout its intended in-service life and that it remains reliable and safe.

Berths

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 66-7W, on nuclear submarines, what X and Z berths are available to the Royal Navy; when the X and Z berths outside HMNB Devonport and HMNB Clyde referred to in the answer of 14 November 2000 to the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead,  Official Report, column 575W, on berths, lost their designated status; for what reasons; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The designation of nuclear powered warship berths was amended in 2006 to ensure clarity in responsibility and consistency of definition across all nuclear powered warship berths. Berths outside of HMNB Devonport and HMNB Clyde base ports are now termed operational berths.

Chinook Helicopters

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has initiated disciplinary action against any individual as a consequence of their involvement in the commissioning of the eight Chinook helicopters which remain unairworthy.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 16 June 2008
	A full inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Chinook procurement was held in 2004. It found that the failures were systemic and no individuals were to blame. Lessons have been learnt and procedures have been put in place to avoid a similar occurrence.

Departmental Cost Effectiveness

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times officials in his Department met representatives of the National Audit Office in each year since 1997 to discuss the value for money of his Department's major projects.

Bob Ainsworth: MOD officials meet regularly with representatives of the National Audit Office to discuss a variety of subjects, including value for money. The specific nature of individual meetings is not held centrally.

Departmental Responsibilities

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department's projects gained main gate approval in 2007-08.

Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Transport

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when each of his Department's and its agencies' green transport plans were introduced; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such plan.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has not published a green transport plan. In a Department of MOD's size and complexity, travel is something most tangibly dealt with at site level. Two MOD agencies have published green transport plans: The Hydrographic Office in April 2008 and The Meteorological Office in 2007. I shall place copies of both plans in the Library of the House.

France: Military Alliances

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to mark the 10th anniversary of the UK-France agreement reached at St Malo in 1998.

Des Browne: None.

Gibraltar Services Police

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Permanent Joint Headquarters appraisals of  (a) the proposed transfer of police functions of the Gibraltar Service Police (GSP),  (b) the functions and jurisdiction of the GSP on land currently owned and managed by his Department and  (c) the future of GSP assets will take place; if he will place in the Library a copy of each appraisal on completion; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Work is continuing on the future of the Gibraltar Service Police. Part of this process will involve discussions between HQ British Forces Gibraltar and the Government of Gibraltar on future policing options. Once these discussions have concluded, there will be a full appraisal of the options for the future of the GSP before any final decision is taken. I will write to the hon. Member once a final decision has been taken.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which units have been deployed to  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan over the last 12 months with full-strength bearing; and how many troops were deployed.

Des Browne: holding answer 28 January 2008
	 All units deploy at the required strength for the tasks they are asked to fulfil during their operational tour.
	Information on the number of troops from each unit which deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in the last 12 months is being collated. I will write to the hon. Member when the information is available.
	 Substantive answer from Des Browne to  Andrew Murrison:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 29 January 2008 (Official Report, column 186W), about which units have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 12 months with full strength bearing and how many troops were deployed.
	As my answer indicated, all units will deploy at the strength required for the tasks that they are asked to fulfil during their operational tour. The table, attached at ANNEX A, lists the main formed units which deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan from November 2006 to April 2008 and the total troop numbers which these units deployed. The equivalent information is not held for subunits, so the totals will not match the overall numbers which deployed on each roulement. As you know, it is not unusual for a roulement to be configured from elements of a number of units, each of which are contributing a small number of troops in support of the main formation. All units that are tasked to deploy on each operational tour are listed in the relevant announcement laid before Parliament.
	You may also be interested in the answers given to the Hon Member for Newark, Patrick Mercer, on 7 January 2008 (Official Report, column 50W) and 16 January 2008 (Official Report, column 1247W), about peace establishment numbers for a number or regiments. I enclose copies of the Hansard extracts for ease of reference.
	I am placing a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Annex A: Formed unit strengths deployed on recent operational tours 
			  Telic deployments: Telic 9November 2006 to May 2007 
			  Unit  Unit strength 
			 2(nd) Bn Lancashire Regt 455 
			 Queens Royal Lancers 320 
			 1(st) Bn Yorkshire Regt 550 
			 2(nd) Bn The Rifles 703 
			 40 Regiment Royal Artillery 298 
			 3(rd) Bn Mercian Regiment 509 
		
	
	
		
			  Telic deployments: Telic 10June 2007 to November 2007 
			  Unit  Unit strength 
			 2(nd) Bn Royal Welsh Regiment 522 
			 1(st) Bn Irish Guards 409 
			 4(th) Bn The Rifles 587 
			 1(st) Regt Royal Horse Artillery 388 
			 Kings Royal Hussars 445 
		
	
	
		
			  Herrick deployments: Herrick 5October 2006 to April 2007 
			  Unit  Total unit strength 
			 42 and 45 Commando Royal Marines 2,067 
		
	
	
		
			  Herrick deployments: Herrick 6April 2007 to October 2007 
			  Unit  Unit strength 
			 1(st) Bn Royal Anglian Regt 583 
			 2(nd) Bn Mercian Regiment 466 
			 The Light Dragoons 190 
		
	
	
		
			  Herrick deployments: Herrick 7October 2007 to April 2008 
			  Unit  Unit strength 
			 40 Commando Royal Marines 822 
			 Household Cavalry Regt 190 
			 1(st) Bn Royal Gurkha Rifles 585 
			 1(st) Bn Coldstream Guards 500 
			 4 Regt Royal Artillery 372

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which vehicles British service personnel were  (a) killed and  (b) injured as a result of hostile action in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan in each month since operations started; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I am withholding the details requested as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to reduce the number of Future Lynx procured from AgustaWestland; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: We currently have no plans to reduce the number of Future Lynx procured.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to reduce the amount spent on the Future Lynx capability.

Bob Ainsworth: We currently have no plans to reduce the overall expenditure on Future Lynx.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on what date the decision was taken not to procure the  (a) NH90 helicopter,  (b) Bell 407 helicopter,  (c) EC635 helicopter,  (d) AB139 helicopter and  (e) UH-60 helicopter to meet the capability to be met by the Future Lynx;
	(2)  on what date the business case for the Future Lynx was approved by his Department's Investment Approvals Board;
	(3)  if he will initiate an investigation into the procedures used in reaching the decision to award the Future Lynx contract.

Bob Ainsworth: The correct departmental procedures were followed to reach the decision to procure the new Future Lynx helicopter. I do not therefore see a need to initiate any investigation into the procedures followed in arriving at this decision. The final decision was taken by MOD Ministers, following agreement from Her Majesty's Treasury, on 31 May 2006 on the basis of advice and recommendations from the MOD Investment Approvals Board.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the Future Lynx Business Plan was completed by November 2005.

Bob Ainsworth: The final Future Lynx Main Gate Business Case was submitted to the Department's Investment Approvals Board on 5 December 2005.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the letter of 31 July 2007 from Lord Drayson to the hon. Member for Harwich, 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the ability of Future Lynx to meet the surface combatant maritime rotorcraft capability at a lower cost than alternatives;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the ability of Future Lynx to meet the battlefield reconnaissance helicopter capability at an equivalent cost to alternatives.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence follows a detailed approvals process for all major equipment procurement decisions. For all such decisions a range of factors are considered including acquisition cost, the ability of the equipment to meet our capability requirements, technical and programme risk and coherence with the defence industrial strategy. The approvals process is designed to ensure all these factors are considered and procurement decisions are not based on any single factor. In the case of the surface combatant maritime rotorcraft and battlefield reconnaissance helicopter capabilities, following consideration of the range of factors, Future Lynx was considered to be the best solution to meet our requirements.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  for what reasons his Department did not conduct a competitive process before awarding AgustaWestland the contract to build the Future Lynx to meet the battlefield reconnaissance helicopter requirement;
	(2)  what consideration was given to procuring an off-the-shelf helicopter under a competitive process to meet the battlefield reconnaissance helicopter requirement; and what estimate he has made of when helicopters would have been available to the armed forces under such a procurement process.

Bob Ainsworth: An assessment was made by the Department in 2001 which concluded that the Future Lynx aircraft likely offered the best through-life approach to the delivery of the Army's battlefield light utility helicopter (BLUH) and Royal Navy's surface combatant maritime rotorcraft (SCMR) requirements and a sole source assessment phase was launched. We continued to benchmark the Future Lynx approach against other opportunities, including within the analysis that underpinned the future rotorcraft capability programme during 2004-05, where the Army's requirement was described as the battlefield reconnaissance helicopter (BRH).
	The analysis concluded that the delivery of the BRH and the SCMR requirements through a single helicopter type (Future Lynx) provided the best combination of through-life military capability, time to deliver into service, cost and risk. As such, we decided not to launch a competition.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account was taken in the Department's procurement process of the conclusion of the long-term partnering agreement between his Department and AgustaWestland in March 2005, with particular reference to bidders for fulfilment of the Future Lynx contract.

Bob Ainsworth: The Heads of Agreement signed with Agusta Westland in March 2005 and announced via a written ministerial statement on 24 March 2005,  Official Report, column 83WS, committed the Department to exploring the possibility of partnering. The same statement confirmed that the potential award of a Future Lynx contract was subject to continuing negotiations to agree acceptable contract conditions and prices within clearly defined parameters. The subsequent decision to proceed with Future Lynx was taken as this represented the best through-life approach; its contribution to the sustainment of critical UK skills was a secondary consideration.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Predator unmanned aerial vehicles the armed forces have; and how many have been  (a) used in recent operations and  (b) shot down.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence has procured three Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as Predator B. Reaper operations began in Afghanistan in October 2007 and capability continues to be built up. None have been shot down, but one was lost in April 2008 as the result of a forced landing. A replacement will be delivered in due course. We do not comment on the exact numbers of platforms in use on operations at any particular time.

Warships: Guided Weapons

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many weapons systems have been removed from ships in the Royal Navy because  (a) of the need to make expenditure reductions,  (b) they were no longer operationally needed and  (c) for other reasons in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: As a result of agreed resource priorities, a decision was made in 2007 to remove sea dart weapon systems from two Type 42 Destroyers. Royal Navy Ships continue to be armed with weapon system capabilities required to meet their tasking.
	I am withholding further details as their release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Cultural Heritage: Manpower

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of staff are employed by each  (a) Regional Arts Council,  (b) Regional Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and  (c) Regional Cultural Consortium.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 6 June 2008
	Figures for the number of staff employed by the bodies in question, as provided by those bodies, are set out as follows. These represent the total number of individuals employed, not the number of full-time equivalents.
	
		
			  Regional arts councils 
			   Number 
			 East 47 
			 East Midlands 65 
			 London 107 
			 North East 56 
			 North West 70 
			 South East 61 
			 South West 56 
			 West Midlands 48 
			 Yorkshire 52 
			  Note: These figures include people working with Creative Partnerships. 
		
	
	
		
			  Regional museums, libraries and archives councils 
			   Number 
			 MLA East England 12 
			 MLA East Midlands 19 
			 MLA London 21 
			 MLA North East 10 
			 MLA North West 9 
			 MLA South East 15 
			 MLA South West 15 
			 MLA West Midlands 18 
			 MLA Yorkshire 12 
			  Note: The nine MLA regional agencies are independent bodies and employ their own staff, funded by core funding from MLA and other external project funding. The staffing figures have been provided by the regional agencies and are correct as at June 2008. They include both permanent and project staff on short-term contracts and represent a reduction of 30 per cent. from September 2007. 
		
	
	
		
			  Regional cultural consortiums 
			   Number 
			 Culture East Midlands 5 
			 Culture North East 5 
			 Culture North West 9 
			 Culture South East 5 
			 Culture South West 5 
			 Culture West Midlands 7 
			 Living East 4 
			 Yorkshire Culture 8 
			  Note: Some posts are co-funded by partners and these posts are included in the figures.

Culture: Education

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the 69 million funding allocated for the Five Hour Offer between 2008 and 2011 will come from  (a) the National Lottery and  (b) HM Treasury.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 16 June 2008
	Sport England has advised that the entire 69 million investment for 2008-11 to support the five-hour sports offer for children and young people is Exchequer funding. (This funding includes 4.5 million from the DCSF).

Culture: Public Appointments

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by  (a) his Department,  (b) the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council,  (c) VisitBritain,  (d) the Heritage Lottery Fund,  (e) the Big Lottery Fund,  (f) the National Lottery Commission,  (g) Sport England,  (h) UK Sport,  (i) Arts Council England and  (j) the UK Film Council on advertising appointments in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 1010-14W, on departmental manpower, what functions were carried out by the full-time equivalent employee in the Trade Union division.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This employee, working in the Corporate Services Directorate, is given 100 per cent. facility time, with management agreement, to undertake his joint role as chair of the departmental trade union side (DTUS) and chair of the DCMS branch of the public and commercial services union (PCS). Main duties attached to the post include
	leading for the DTUS in formal meetings/consultations/negotiations with senior management on issues relating to pay and terms and conditions of employment;
	ensuring the PCS Branch is run in accordance with its constitution and union rules;
	ensuring that PCS members are kept informed and consulted on relevant local and national union matters;
	representing members with personal work issues;
	Vice President and committee member of the Culture, Media and Sport Occupational Association.

Departmental Manpower

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff are employed in his private office.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 12 June 2008
	 There are six members of staff working in my private office.

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 817-19W, on departmental NDPBs, with which public bodies his Department had finalised funding agreements as of 1 June 2008; for what period funding has been agreed; and how much funding has been agreed in each case.

Andy Burnham: The information you request is listed in the following table:
	
		
			  Name of NDPB  Period of funding agreement  2008-09 ()  2009-10 ()  2010-11 () 
			 British Library 2008-11 106,904,000 109,464,000 112,094,000 
			 Culture North East 2008-09 215,000   
			 Culture South West 2008-09 215,000   
			 Gambling Commission 2008-11 500,000 500,000 500,000 
			 Museums, Libraries and Archives Council 2008-11 13,971,000 12,971,000 11,471,000 
			 Public Lending Right 2008-11 7,432,000 7,582,000 7,682,000 
			 Yorkshire Culture 2008-09 215,000   
		
	
	In addition, since 1 June 2008 the following NDPBs have had their funding agreements finalised and signed.
	
		
			  Name of NDPB  Period of funding agreement  2008-09 ()  2009-10 ()  2010-11 () 
			 British Museum 2008-11 50,875,000 52,028,000 54,222,000 
			 Culture North West 2008-09 215,000   
			 Football Licensing Authority 2008-11 1,321,000 1,261,000 1,261,000 
			 Horniman Public Museum and Public Park Trust 2008-11 1,276,000 1,181,000 1,211,000 
			 Imperial War Museum 2008-11 23,588,000 24,163,000 24,752,000 
			 Living East 2008-09 215,000   
			 Museum of Science and Industry 2008-11 39,158,000 40,608,000 41,583,000 
			 Sir John Soane's Museum 2008-11 1,276,000 1,181,000 1,211,000 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 2008-11 44,234,000 44,761,000 45,902,000

Departmental Postal Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since 2001 the Department has spent the following on overseas mail.
	
		
			   
			  Supplier  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Addison Lee 726.39
			 Anderson Young75.21 547.18
			 Courier Systems1,760.64 
			 City Sprint 325.95  43.82  107.50 460.50 1,216.70  
			 Countdown International 89.00 417.50   424.68
			 Nightspeed 162.00
			 Royal Mail   375.00 2,019.26 1,669.33 1,667.39 992.27 501.99 
			 Parcel Force  213.24 74.04  
			 Transglobal Express Ltd   250.00  
			 Total 576.95 417.50 418.82 2,094.47 3,475.08 2,341.13 2,533.01 2,262.63

Departmental Standards

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the Department's performance against Public Service Agreement target 3 in the 2002 Spending Review during the period 2002 to 2008.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 6 June 2008
	The DCMS Annual Report for 2008 was published in May 2008 and gives details of our latest assessment The full report can be seen on the DCMS website:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/5123.aspx
	A further assessment will be made in the autumn, when data for 2006 has been validated.

English Sports Council: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what means he expects the 20 million administrative savings expected of Sport England over the next three years to be achieved.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 16 June 2008
	The reduction in Sport England's operating costs of 20 million over the next three years will be achieved by a range of measures, which include the centralisation of grant making; the creation of a single, streamlined grant application process; a tighter focus in regional activities; savings to information and communication technology services; and improvements in procurement and financial management.

English Sports Council: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department's definition is of  (a) direct delivery costs and  (b) other operating costs, as used in paragraph 108 of the Sport England strategy for 2008 to 2011.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 16 June 2008
	Operating costs are defined as all the costs of the organisation, including its wider activities, other than the costs of grant awards.
	 (a) Sport England advises that direct delivery costs are a subset of operating costs which help deliver their outcomes and objectives. For example, to support grant applicants, the direct delivery costs include meetings, publicity and guidance materials which improve the quality and range of applications. The direct delivery costs also include funding for research used by the sector as a whole (for example the Active People Survey and Sport England's contribution to the Taking Part Survey).
	 (b) Other operating costs support the delivery of Sport England's wider activities, for example
	statutory and non-statutory planning function;
	technical advice service; and
	national and regional advocacy.
	Sport England emphasises that the percentages shown in the table in paragraph 108 of the Sport England strategy document are illustrative.

Equality

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to establish a strategy to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services  (a) by his Department and  (b) within the sector for which he has policy responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department will review our approach to age equality in the light of any proposals arising from the Government's proposals for the Equality Bill, outlined in the consultation A Framework for Fairness. Our departmental guidance on equality impact assessment currently includes age equality as an issue for consideration in policy development.

Gaming Machines

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the conclusions of the triennial review of stakes and prizes for gaming machines will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A triennial review of stakes and prizes grew up by custom and practice under the previous gambling legislation, and has no statutory basis. The Government last increased stake and prize levels for certain categories of gaming machine in October 2006, earlier than planned and at the industry's request. We are committed to a further review no later than 2009.

Sportsmatch: Grants

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role Sportsmatch will have in the 10 million Small Grants Scheme under the Sport England strategy for 2008 to 2011.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer  16 June 2008
	Sport England has signalled a continuing rolewithin its 10 million funding for small grantsfor the highly successful Sportsmatch programme.

Swimming Pools

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public swimming pools have closed in  (a) the Greater London area and  (b) England since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that information on local authority pool openings and closures across Greater London and England was not collected centrally prior to 2004, when the Active Places database of sports facilities across England was established. The most recent information from Sport England (November 2007) indicates the number of pools (not sites) opened and closed in each year since 2004.
	
		
			   Opened  Closed 
			  Greater London   
			 2004 6 0 
			 2005 4 6 
			 2006 7 0 
			 2007 6 3 
			
			  England   
			 2004 17 5 
			 2005 18 32 
			 2006 20 23 
			 2007 19 9

Swimming: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the National Lottery are contributing to the 140 million fund announced on 6 June 2008 to encourage local authorities to offer free swimming.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is making a contribution to the capital fund of 9.75 million in 2008-09, 9.75 million in 2009-10 and 10 million in 2010-11.
	As for the National Lottery contribution, as part of our work over the summer to design the delivery and implementation arrangements of the free swimming offer, we will be discussing with Sport England its contribution, including the potential of making swimming a growth sport, and how the free swimming initiative can have an impact on increasing sports participation.

Television: Licensing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) fines were issued and  (b) prosecutions were brought for the offence of installing or using a television receiver to watch or record television shows without a valid licence in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: The administration and enforcement of the television licensing system are the responsibility of the BBC, which operates independently of Government. The day to day administration and enforcement of the licence fee regulations are undertaken by TV Licensing, which acts as agent for the corporation. Fines are issued and collected by the courts, and information on the number of offenders fined in London for offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts, the majority of which relate to TV licence evasion, for 2002-06 is set out in the following table. This information has been provided by the Ministry of Justice and is not available by London borough.
	
		
			   Number sentenced  Number fined 
			 2002 10,878 10,267 
			 2003 7,218 7,066 
			 2004 11,471 11,352 
			 2005 17,018 16,837 
			 2006 15,068 14,902

Television: Sight-Impaired People

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he plans to change the specification of Freeview boxes under the Help Scheme to provide audio description and talking menus to help the visually impaired.

Andy Burnham: The Department set up the Emerging Technologies Group to keep the core receiver requirements of the scheme equipment under review and to recommend, where necessary, that new technologies be incorporated in this equipment. They will consider the case for talking menus for equipment supplied by the Help Scheme. Any recommendations must then be approved by me and by the BBC as the operators of the scheme. Audio description is already a core receiver requirement.

Television: Sight-Impaired People

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to encourage the development of digital teletext on digital platforms to assist the visually impaired.

Andy Burnham: We welcome any developments to assist the visually impaired in this area. Blind and partially sighted people can currently gain access to analogue terrestrial teletext services through 'Talking Teletext' equipment that translates written teletext into audible speech. The existing equipment is not suitable for receiving digital teletext services, however, as a different technology is used to broadcast those services. Portset, the manufacturer of 'Talking Teletext', has recently introduced a specially designed unit that, among other features, provides access to digital teletext for blind and partially sighted people.

TREASURY

Departmental Aviation

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within mainland Britain by representatives of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Angela Eagle: The individual domestic air flights undertaken within mainland Britain by representatives against the corporate contract and the associated costs are as follows.
	
		
			   Number  Total cost 2007-08 () 
			 HMT (1)166 39,067 
			 DMO (2)3 892 
			 OGC (1)237 52,575 
			 Royal Mint (1)22 7,095 
			 Government Actuary's Department (1)56 5,479 
			 OGCbuying solutions (1)947 116,473 
			 Valuation Office Agency (1)399 50,408 
			 HMRC (1)32,641 1,291,145 
			 (1) Trips (2) Return flights. 
		
	
	NSI can provide this information only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Higher Civil Servants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what civil service grade the Head of the Government Finance Profession is.

Angela Eagle: The civil service grade of the head of the Government Finance Profession is director-general, senior civil service pay band 3.

Departmental Planning Permission

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) planning applications and  (b) licensing applications his Department has submitted in the last 24 months.

Angela Eagle: Two applications were made in the last 24 months: the first was in respect of internal alterations to partitions within the building and the second, currently awaiting approval, was for netting to prevent birds from resting on the roofs over lightwells.
	No licensing applications were made during this period.

Departmental Translation Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on translation and interpretation services in 2007-08, broken down by language.

Angela Eagle: Total spending on translation costs cannot be provided within the disproportionate costs threshold as the production price charged for certain documents may include a translation element that cannot be readily disaggregated. Where translation spending can be identified it amounted to 1,413 in 2007-08, subject to any necessary adjustments following the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit of the 2007-08 HM Treasury Resource Account. This spending represented the Treasury's share of the cost of the provision of interpreters at European Commission working group meetings in Brussels attended by Treasury officials and cannot therefore be broken down by language.

Departmental Vetting

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether  (a) UK citizens born in the UK,  (b) UK citizens born abroad and  (c) foreign nationals recruited into his Department and its agencies are subject to (i) UK and (ii) overseas criminal record checks; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The Department and its agencies carry out verification of the UK unspent criminal record declarations for all new recruits, and, where national security vetting is required, a check of spent convictions.
	The current position in respect of overseas checks was described in the answer that the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Hackney, South and Shoreditch (Meg Hillier), gave to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Ruffley) on 4 February 2008  Official Report, column 825W.

Economic and Monetary Union

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the euro changeover plan of  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies was last updated; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of each plan.

Kitty Ussher: A high-level plan was produced in January 2005. This plan covers HM Treasury and its agencies, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Debt Management Office (DMO). The plan is publicly available on HM Treasury's website on the following link:
	http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/about/information/foi_disclosures/2006/foi_eurodeptplans_2006.cfm

Fairtrade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2008,  Official Report, column 733W, on the Fairtrade initiative, what Fairtrade products are  (a) available for purchase in his Department's staff catering facilities and  (b) offered at official departmental meetings and engagements; what value of Fairtrade produce was purchased in his Department's staff catering facilities in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage of total revenue this represented.

Angela Eagle: Fairtrade products available for purchase are tea, coffee, hot chocolate, various fruit items and chocolate.
	All tea and coffee products offered at official meetings and engagements are certified Fairtrade.
	Catering facilities in 1 Horse Guards road are provided by a sub-contractor to the PFI provider who is not willing to release detailed information on his expenditure as it is considered commercially sensitive; however, the sub-contractor has confirmed that Fairtrade purchases average 31 per cent. of total purchasing expenditure.

Government Departments: Procurement

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what procurement projects have been halted as a result of recommendations made by his Department's major projects review group since January 2007.

Angela Eagle: An update on the major projects review group and a summary of its decisions will be published in HM Treasury's annual report and accounts 2007-08.

Morning Star

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many copies of the  Morning Star publication his Department and each of its agencies subscribes to each week; and at what cost.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury and its agencies do not subscribe to the  Morning Star publication.

Public Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what resources his Department has allocated to the preparation of its forthcoming factual paper on the Barnett Formula.

Yvette Cooper: The paper is being prepared by the Local Government, Regions and Devolved Countries team in the Treasury.

Public Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek information from other stakeholders on the operation of the Barnett Formula to inform his Department's forthcoming factual paper on the formula.

Yvette Cooper: My Department's forthcoming paper on the Barnett formula will be factual in nature, reflecting experience of the operation of the Barnett formula since the formula was introduced.

Tax Allowances: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual cost to the Exchequer of current pension contribution tax relief, broken down by marginal tax band.

Kitty Ussher: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 10 June 2008,  Official Report, column 179W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer question  (a) 204170,  (b) 204171,  (c) 204172 and  (d) 204173 on vehicle excise duty, tabled by the hon. Member for Putney on 1 March 2008.

Angela Eagle: Notice of the hon. Member's questions first appeared on 2 May. The questions concerned required detailed analysis. I hope to be in a position to reply substantively shortly.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his Department's staff are in each province of  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq; and what functions they are carrying out in each case.

Douglas Alexander: For security reasons, we do not disclose the number of staff we have working in Afghanistan and Iraq.
	DFID's role in Afghanistan supports three of the Afghan Government's own objectives as set out in their national development strategy (ANDS): building effective state institutions, improving economic management and the effectiveness of aid, and improving the livelihoods of rural people. In Helmand, DFID oversees agriculture, infrastructure and microfinance projects, and gives advice on development to the provincial reconstruction team.
	DFID's role in Iraq is to support the Government in unlocking their own human and financial resources. To this end, staff in Baghdad oversee three main programmes: economic reform, developing the machinery of government and donor co-ordination of humanitarian relief efforts. The DFID representative in Basra oversees DFID's power and water projects, and economic and governance work through the UK-led provincial reconstruction team.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what private contractors provided protection services for his Department in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in 2007;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on private contractors providing protection services for his Department in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in 2007.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) engages private contractors to provide protection services for our staff in high-threat environments.
	In 2007-08, Control Risks Group (CRG) and Kroll provided mobile security for DFID staff, consultants and static guarding for our compounds in Iraq. Such contracts have been managed and administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and the total cost incurred by DFID was 5.9 million.
	In 2007-08, the private contractor ArmorGroup provided protection services for DFID in Afghanistan. The contract is managed and administered by the FCO and the total cost incurred by DFID was 2.03 million.

Asia: Roads

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether UK aid is  (a) directly and  (b) indirectly involved in financing the construction of the Asia Highway.

Douglas Alexander: The information is as follows:
	 (a) UK aid directly financed 114km of the Butwal-Narayanghat section of the Asian highway in the 1980s and support was also provided for constructing some bridges in the 1990s. Other donors, including the former Soviet Union, India, the People's Republic of China, the Swiss Government and the United States of America also provided support.
	 (b) Indirectly, we provide finance to multilateral investment banks, including the World Bank Group and the Asian Development Bank. Both have large and complex transport lending portfolios. Through individual sovereign loans to recipient countries, elements of this 26,000km multi-billion pound endeavour have been financed by such banks.

Congo Basin Forest Fund

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Congo Basin Fund is being spent in support of forest conservation; whether he has had discussions with other donors on contributing to the fund; and what the relationship of the fund is to the Forest Carbon Partnership Fund managed by the World Bank.

Gareth Thomas: The Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF) will be launched on 17 June 2008. Governments, civil society and private sector organisations will be eligible to apply for funding once the fund has been launched. Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria: innovation, slowing deforestation, reducing poverty and conformance with the COMIFAC (Central African Forest Commission) Convergence Plan.
	In addition to the initial 50 million contribution to the CBFF, the UK has allocated up to 8 million to fund start-up activities, the nature of which are under consideration.
	The fund has been welcomed by donors who are already active in the region. In addition, we have held discussions with the Norwegians, US, Japanese and French on contributing to the fund. We are also considering collaboration with other donors under start-up activities.
	The Congo Basin Forest Fund and Forest Carbon Partnership are both resourced from the Strategic Climate Fund which will be housed at the World Bank. Officials are in constant dialogue to ensure synergies arise from the contributions that both are planning to support.

EU Aid: Standards

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if his Department will take steps at EU level to ensure the publication of multiannual timetables showing how European Union member states are meeting their aid targets.

Douglas Alexander: European Union member states strongly reaffirmed their commitment to their aid targets at the recent General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC). The Council's conclusions also strongly encourage member states to establish multi-annual timetables as soon as possible to illustrate how they will reach these targets. The Council also called on the European Commission to include information on the establishment and implementation of these timetables in its regular reporting on financing for development. The next report will be published in early 2009.
	The UK worked hard to ensure that the conclusions on aid targets and timetables were agreed by member states at the GAERC, and continues to push for the establishment and implementation of timetables for all EU member states. We report progress against our own targets on a regular basis, including in the DFID Annual Report.

Gaza: Electricity

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the  (a) Palestinian authority and  (b) Israeli authorities on the prolonged power cuts and surges as a result of the strikes by the Association of Gas Distribution in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: We have urged the Government of Israel to ensure that, in line with their own public commitments, their actions do not result in an humanitarian crisis in Gaza. For example the Foreign Secretary and I issued a statement on 8 February expressing our grave concern over the fuel situation. We also fully support the EU presidency statement in April urging regular and unrestricted delivery of fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip in order not to aggravate further the humanitarian situation. We are conscious that Palestinian militants have deliberately also aggravated the humanitarian situation, including through the attacks on the Nahal Oz and Kerem Shalom crossings. We condemn such actions, which can only lead to more misery for the people of Gaza. The violence needs to stop and basic humanitarian supplies, including fuel, should be allowed in and properly distributed to those who need them.
	There is a shortage of all types of fuel in Gaza. At present, Gaza experiences about six to eight hours of daily power cuts. Power cuts paralyse daily life and stop essential services, including health care, being delivered effectively. Fuel supply to the Gaza power plant is sourced by the European Commission and delivered directly, and has not been affected by the association's strike. The Israeli authorities only allow delivery of about 2.2 million litres of the 3.5 million litres that the power plant needs to operate at full capacity. The UK has given 15 million to the EC's Temporary International Mechanism and 15.45 to its successor PEGASE for basic services to ordinary Palestinians, including delivery of fuel to the Gaza power plant.

International Assistance: Standards

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to give responsibility to the UN to monitor and evaluate the efforts of international organisations to tackle abuses by peacekeepers and aid workers;
	(2)  what steps his Department plans to take through the United Nations to improve reporting of and action taken in response to sexual exploitation and abuse of children by UN peacekeepers.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	We believe strongly that UN personnel must uphold the highest standards of behaviour. The vast majority of UN peacekeepers uphold those standards while doing important work in difficult and dangerous circumstances. They are working to build the conditions for sustainable peace.
	The UK takes all allegations of misconduct by UN and other peacekeepers extremely seriously. The UN is responsible for tackling any individual allegations of misconduct with troop-contributing countries. We will continue to work closely with the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations and other partners to ensure that its 'zero tolerance' policy towards incidents of abuse is implemented in full. We have been instrumental in instigating some recent policy changes at the UN aimed at preventing and tackling sexual exploitation and abuse. These include: a more robust Model Memorandum of Understanding between the UN and Troop Contributing Countries; an upgraded Welfare and Recreation Strategy for peacekeeping and related personnel; a Victim's Assistance Strategy to provide assistance for survivors of sexual violence perpetrated by UN personnel; and a resolution on 'Criminal accountability of UN officials and experts on mission'.
	We are also helping to support the UN's efforts to assess, prioritise and respond to the sexual exploitation and abuse of children by UN peacekeepers and aid workers. This has involved taking concrete measures to address both military and civilian branches of peacekeeping support operations. One such measure, the UN's Conduct and Discipline Units, is funded by the UK's Conflict Prevention Pool. These teams work to ensure that all peacekeeping personnel undergo training on UN standards of conduct relating to sexual exploitation and abuse, and that all allegations of wrongdoing are reported upon and followed up with appropriate action. In the UN Mission in Liberia, for example, the number of cases reported to the UN was reduced by half from 2006 to 2007.
	The UK supports all efforts to protect the world's most vulnerable children from sexual abuse. To strengthen the UN's approach further, the UK supported the UN Secretary-General's recent recommendation to include, where appropriate, child protection advisers within the mandates of peacekeeping missions. As an active member of the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, we will continue to work to improve the effectiveness of existing UN monitoring, reporting and disciplinary mechanisms.
	Through its Conflict Prevention programme, the UK also helps to train military personnel for peacekeeping operations. Good conduct and respect for human rights is an integral part of all training courses. The UK will continue to provide training on peace support operations for troops from other countries, which covers conduct and discipline, particularly the importance of protecting civilians (including women and children) in accordance with international law.
	Save The Children (the non-governmental organisation) raises some important concerns in its report about abuse committed by not just UN personnel but aid workers employed by non-governmental organisations. We need to consider carefully with the UN and the non-governmental organisation community how best to ensure that children are not subject to abuse.

Occupied Territories: Business

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to encourage business investment in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

Douglas Alexander: Private sector investment is a priority for the Department for International Development's programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK funded the Investment Climate Assessment conducted by the World Bank in 2007, which was critical to identifying the challenges and needs for business to recover in the OPTs. DFID, in partnership with the World Bank, has allocated 3 million over three years to make Palestinian businesses more competitive.
	DFID was a leading partner of the Palestine Investment Conference (PIC) that took place in Bethlehem on 21-23 May. I hosted a curtain-raiser event for it here in London on 2 May. The conference itself was successful. With DFID support, investment projects totalling 1 billion were prepared for the conference. These have the potential to create 50,000 new jobs, which is critical to economic recovery and a sense of hope, particularly among young people. Ten investment agreements were signed for a total of over 700 million, primarily in housing, infrastructure and telecommunications with Arab companies. At the conference, I launched a new private sector initiativethe 3.7 million New Market Development Initiativeto support Palestinian businesses to compete in new markets and enhance exports. DFID will provide 3 million and the World Bank 0.7 million. We will continue to work to help make investment promises a reality.

Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to improve the safety of British aid workers overseas.

Douglas Alexander: Department for International Development staff posted abroad receive security briefing and training. While they are in country, office and home accommodation and local travel are security risk-assessed and appropriate security safeguards adopted.
	Consultants and contractors employed by DFID are responsible for their own security and safety arrangements. However, DFID will seek to ensure that they are appropriately briefed on security matters.
	Consultants and contractors and other British aid staff working independently of DFID, such as NGOs, will have access to Foreign and Commonwealth Office consular services as well as the advice offered on travel to countries as listed on the FCO website.

Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government have taken to improve the distribution of aid.

Douglas Alexander: Over the past year, the Department for International Development has improved the distribution of its bilateral aid by putting in place a formal two-stage process to support allocation decisions. The first stage uses a model to guide allocations to low-income countries based on need and their ability to use the aid effectively. The second stage takes the allocations proposed by the model and considers how other country-level considerations, such as the likelihood of countries' getting into conflict or their progress in reaching the millennium development goals, may affect their allocations.
	In addition, DFID is committed to improving distribution of aid through the multilateral system by strengthening the evidence base for multilateral effectiveness. DFID produces multilateral development effectiveness summaries which measure multilateral organisations according to their country level and global results, how they manage resources and partnerships with others, and how they build for the future. DFID is also working with other donors through the multilateral organisations performance assessment network (MOPAN) to develop a method of measuring the effectiveness of multilateral aid for use by the joint donor group.
	Further information on aid allocation and distribution is available in chapters 5 and 10 of the DFID annual report 2008, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

HEALTH

NHS Dentistry

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are waiting to be registered with an NHS dentist in the Hemsworth constituency.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts to determine how best to manage patients seeking NHS dental services.

Care of the Elderly

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the provision to care of the elderly.

Ivan Lewis: These are what we already have to improve the provision of care:
	the three year 'Putting People First' social care reform programme in every local authority area;
	first ever national dementia and end of life strategies;
	extension of 'Dignity in Care' campaign;
	a new preventative health strategy specifically for older people;
	extending the Human Rights Act to publicly funded residents of private care homes;
	new 10-year carers' strategy;
	joint population needs assessment and local area agreements in every local authority area;
	the review of the adult protection framework;
	Lord Darzi NHS stage review report; and
	the review of the care and support system leading to a Green Paper.

Cross-border NHS Services

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Scottish Executive Ministers on the cross-border availability of NHS services.

Ben Bradshaw: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is due to meet Nicola Sturgeon MSP soon.
	Senior officials routinely discuss cross-border issues.

Two-Tier Work Force Guidance

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he monitors the use in the NHS of Office of Government Commerce guidance on the two-tier work force.

Ann Keen: The Department monitors the use in the NHS of the Office of Government Commerce guidance on the two-tier work force, known as the Cabinet Office code of practice on workforce matters, through regular meetings with trade unions, the CBI, the Business Services Association and NHS Employers.
	There are also similar arrangements with other Government Departments through the Public Services Forum.

Epilepsy and Autism

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has evaluated on the co-morbidity of epilepsy and autism.

Ivan Lewis: We have not evaluated any research on the co-morbidity of epilepsy and autism. The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, via the Science and Innovation Group.
	We recently announced our intention to fund a prevalence study focusing on adults with autism and Asperger's Syndrome. This study will include people with epilepsy.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to reimburse accident and emergency departments for the treatment costs incurred in treating patients from other NHS trust areas.

Ben Bradshaw: National health service trusts are reimbursed for the patients they treat, regardless of where the patient lives. This year, for the first time, hospitals can claim reimbursement for accident and emergency services from primary care trusts outside the local area.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards achieving the Government's target of providing cardiac rehabilitation for 85 per cent. of heart attack and re-vascularisation patients.

Ann Keen: Chapter 7 of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease, published in 2000, issued appropriate guidance to the national health services regarding the provision of cardiac rehabilitation services. Implementation of this guidance is a matter for the local NHS, working in partnership with stakeholders and the local community. It is for NHS organisations to plan and develop services based on their specific local knowledge and expertise.

Polyclinics

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the consultation on GP-led health centres and polyclinics will begin.

Ben Bradshaw: Local consultations on proposals for GP-led health centres have already begun in most primary care trust areas, which should include the hon. Member's area.

GP Dispensing

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on dispensing arrangements for GP practices in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Following publication of the White Paper Pharmacy in England: Building on StrengthsDelivering the Future, there have been a number of representationsthrough the Listening Events and through correspondenceconcerning the future arrangements for dispensing by GPs including those in rural areas. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.
	Formal consultation on our intentions to reform pharmacy services to improve services for patients will begin before the summer recess.

Family Nurse Partnerships

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on family nurse partnerships.

Ann Keen: The Family Nurse Partnership is currently being tested in 10 areas in England. Over the next year we will extend this pilot to another 20 areas. We still have much to learn about the programme and its impact on children and families in this country, but we are pleased to say that early signs are promising.

Carers Strategy

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the carers strategy.

Ivan Lewis: Last Tuesday we announced our new 10-year Carers Strategy, Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities: a caring system on your side, a life of your own. The strategy sets an ambitious vision focusing on providing more services and support for carers over the next 10 years.

Long-Term Conditions

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in meeting the targets within the national service framework for long-term conditions.

Ann Keen: The National Service Framework for Long-Term conditions (NSF) has a 10-year implementation programme from its publication in March 2005, with flexibility for organisations to set the pace of change to take account of local priorities and needs.
	The NSF Good Practice Guide demonstrates that some organisations have successfully addressed aspects of the NSF's service delivery. Copies of the NSF are available in the Library.

Diabetes

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to assist people with diabetes who are unable to take out insurance against critical illness.

Ann Keen: The decision whether to take out private medical insurance and/or critical illness cover is a personal one.
	We continue to support the national health service in implementing the standards set out in the Diabetes National Service Framework (NSF) to improve services for people with diabetes.

HIV

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England diagnosed with HIV are ineligible for treatment.

Dawn Primarolo: National HIV surveillance data collated at the Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections does not collect information on eligibility for treatment. All people who are ordinarily resident in England are entitled to free national health service treatment, including treatment for HIV, and latest data show that in 2006 there were 48,480 diagnosed HIV-infected individuals who accessed HIV-related care at national health service sites in England.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department  (a) has commissioned,  (b) plans to commission and  (c) has evaluated on the causes of spontaneous abortion; when his Department last undertook a review of the causes of spontaneous abortion that took into account (i) UK and (ii) international research; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Hammersmith, St Mary's and Imperial College Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), formed as part of the implementation of the Government's research strategy Best Research for Best Health and funded by the Department, is undertaking research that aims to further understanding of the mechanisms underlying recurrent miscarriage. Copies of the strategy are available in the Library. The Cambridge University Hospitals and University of Cambridge BRC is separately working to develop an integrated method of screening pregnant women to determine their risk of, and to identify novel genetic and molecular markers for, adverse perinatal outcome.
	The Medical Research Council supports a wide portfolio of research related to premature birth and related conditions, reproductive tract research and underpinning reproductive medicine and paediatric research and has recently funded two projects directly related to spontaneous abortion.
	The Department has not undertaken a review of the causes of spontaneous abortion. We are however aware of work by organisations such as the Miscarriage Association, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Association of Early Pregnancy Units in this area. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on antenatal care include guidance to reduce the risk of miscarriage.

Arthritis: Occupational Health

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the proportion of rheumatoid arthritis patients who, when treated with anti-TNF medications, respond positively to the treatment and are enable to remain at work.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of people with rheumatoid arthritis who are able to remain in work after treatment is not collected.

Asthma

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to spearhead primary care trusts on the reduction of health inequalities for people with asthma.

Dawn Primarolo: No guidance has been issued to spearhead primary care trusts on the reduction of health inequalities for people with asthma.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to provide a digital mammography set in all breast cancer screening units by 2010.

Ann Keen: As a result of requests from local breast screening services, we intend to put in place a national framework contract for digital mammography X-ray equipment. This approach will enable standardised equipment to be purchased and the best value for money to be obtained, and will support local services with national expertise. We also intend to put in place the necessary development work to enable the digital images created by the new equipment to be stored electronically in the picture archiving and communications system currently in use for other diagnostic imaging services.

Breast Feeding

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trained health professionals have received training in giving breastfeeding advice; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that training.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department encourages the health professional bodies to continue to provide advice and resources to assist health professionals in gaining skills in breastfeeding advice. Responsibility for training of health professionals rests with the respective health professional bodies and the employing organisation.
	At present, we are encouraging hospitals and community settings to adopt the United Nations Children's Fund's Baby Friendly Initiative, as evidence shows that the proportion of babies breastfed at birth increases by more than 10 per cent. on average over four years when hospitals implement the Baby Friendly standards. Part of this package includes training for midwives and health visitors to help mothers establish breastfeeding and to support them in the early weeks.

Cord Blood

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the level of cord blood collection of the new licensing procedure announced by the Human Tissue Authority on 30 April.

Dawn Primarolo: While it is not possible to predict with accuracy the effect on levels of cord blood collection, the Human Tissue Authority has had discussions with organisations affected by the new procedures with a view to creating a regulatory framework that is flexible and proportionate and meets the requirements of the Regulations. The Department is currently carrying out a cord blood policy review which is due to report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in the autumn.

Cord Blood

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether new licensing procedures for cord blood collection will require the presence of a qualified phlebotomist at the collection of the blood as a condition of the issue of a licence.

Dawn Primarolo: No. The Human Tissue Authority's standards require that staff involved in procurement are trained and competent at the tasks they perform, and have procedures in place to protect the safety of donors.

Dental Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average distance that a person had to travel to see an NHS dentist in  (a) Southend-on-Sea,  (b) each constituency in Essex and  (c) England (i) in each year since 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which information is available.

Ann Keen: The requested information is not available. It is for primary care trusts to commission local dental services to meet local needs. PCTs are expected to develop robust commissioning plans. These will include consideration of access to local dental services at the time and place that people want.

Dietary Supplements: Jersey

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the Food Standards Agency has secured agreement with the Government of Jersey to bring forward legislation to establish compliance with European legislation on food supplements and nutrition and health claims in accordance with protocol 3 of the Treaty of Accession; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he next plans to discuss with the Government of Jersey their obligations under protocol 3 of the Treaty of Accession to comply with European legislation on the free movement of trade in health products, with particular reference to the medicines legislation, the Food Supplements Directive and the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation.

Dawn Primarolo: A meeting was held between officials of the Crown Dependencies and those of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and other interested United Kingdom Government Departments on 11 April 2008. At this meeting, officials representing the Government of Jersey indicated that a major update of food safety legislation was under way in Jersey and that both the Food Supplements Directive and the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation would be implemented as part of this exercise.
	Officials of the Government of Jersey have undertaken to keep the FSA apprised of progress in updating Jersey food safety legislation and to work with companies on the island to address the issue of the sale of food supplements which are illegal in the UK.
	There are no current plans for further discussions with the Government of Jersey on the Food Supplements Directive or the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will be arranging discussions with the Government of Jersey on the implementation of the medicines directive in Jersey during the course of 2008.

Direct Payments

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received direct payments in  (a) each quarter of 2007-08 and  (b) the first quarter of 2008-09.

Ivan Lewis: The figures for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are not yet available. The data are collected on an annual basis for the period 1 April to 31 March. Quarterly data are not held centrally.
	In total 48,000 people aged 18 and over received direct payments in England during the year 2006-07.

Drugs: Jersey

Bill Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has recently reviewed the medicine laws of Jersey to monitor compliance with European legislation under Protocol 3 of the Treaty of Accession.

Dawn Primarolo: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not believe that the Medicines (Jersey) Law 1995 complies with European medicines legislation as the Jersey Law is based on the United Kingdom's Medicines Act of 1968. The MHRA will be discussing this matter with the Government of Jersey during 2008.

Drugs: Misuse

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are taken to manage interaction between patients referred to drug and alcohol services for addiction to prescription drugs and those referred for addiction to illegal drugs.

Dawn Primarolo: The majority of specialist drug treatment services only treat those whose primary drug of addiction is an illicit drug, such as crack or heroin, and do not routinely treat individuals who are primarily addicted to prescription drugs.
	However, people with illicit drug problems often misuse a variety of drugs, including prescription drugs. In cases like this, the specialist drug treatment service will treat both the illicit drug use and the prescription drug use.
	Individuals whose primary drug of addiction is a prescribed drug and who do not have an illicit drug problem are normally treated in a primary care setting or by mental health services.
	A range of guidance is available to specialist drug treatment services, including the joint Department of Health and National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse guidelines, Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management, published in September 2007, which can be found on the Department's website at
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthimprovement/Substancemisuse/Substancemisusegeneralinformation/DH_4064342

Epilepsy: Death

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent evaluation he has made of research on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Ann Keen: We have made no evaluation of research on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
	However, I have agreed to meet with Epilepsy Bereaved to discuss this matter further.

Epilepsy: Death

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to undertake research on sudden unexplained deaths in epilepsy.

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he plans to provide for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy research in each of the next three years.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 3 June 2008,  Official Report, column 902W.

Female Genital Mutilation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take on the issue of guidance to healthcare professionals on the treatment of cases arising from female genital mutilation.

Dawn Primarolo: Working Together to Safeguard Children published in April 2006, the main inter-agency guide to safeguarding the welfare of children, includes advice on safeguarding children who may have been or are in danger of being victims of this crime. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.

Fluoride: Drinking Water

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from what source the 42 million funding to be provided by central Government for the capital costs of fluoridation will be drawn.

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the 42 million he announced in February for health authorities to consult on fluoridation has been spent; which health authorities have applied for funding; and for how much in each case.

Ann Keen: Up to 43 million will be available from centrally managed national health service capital funds over the three years 2008-09 to 2010-11 to assist strategic health authorities (SHAs) with the capital cost of establishing new fluoridation schemes which have been supported by local communities, or refurbishing plant to maintain existing fluoridation schemes. Funding for public consultations needs to be agreed locally between the responsible SHA and participating primary care trusts, drawing upon their local NHS budgets. No public consultation on any new fluoridation scheme has yet been conducted. The following bids have been received so far for support with the cost of upgrading and refurbishment of the plant used in existing fluoridation schemes: West Midlands SHA has requested 1.35 million, East Midlands SHA 1.3 million, and North West SHA 250,000.

General Practitioners: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services currently offered by existing GP practices in Hemel Hempstead will also be offered by the polyclinic proposed to be sited there; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: There are no proposals for a new Polyclinic in Hemel Hempstead.
	We have asked primary care trusts to include requirements for core general practitioner services within their specifications for the new GP-led health centres. PCTs are being encouraged to develop locally appropriate other services that would bring together a wide range of community-based services, determined by local need. West Hertfordshire PCT held a consultation within West Hertfordshire from 26 March to 26 May 2008. All consultation outcomes will be considered before finalisation of the West Hertfordshire PCT scheme.

Health Partnerships: Miners Welfares

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health partnerships there are which  (a) are based in miners welfares and  (b) include miners welfares.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not held centrally.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on the provision of incentives for the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease in primary care.

Ann Keen: The Department has engaged in discussions with Target PAD about ways to support adoption of best practice in identifying and treating patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) as part of a national overall strategy for vascular diseases.
	The Department is currently developing the programme of vascular assessment originally announced by the Prime Minister in January, and outlined in Putting Prevention First, which is due to be rolled out from 2009-10. Copies of this publication are available in the Library. The programme is aimed at assessing and modifying risk factors for vascular disease. These are common to the whole range of vascular diseases, including PAD.
	We expect the combination of vascular risk assessments and existing Quality and Outcome Framework registers for vascular diseases to identify the majority of people with PAD or at significant risk of developing it.
	In addition, the Department has offered to work with Target PAD to develop a national specification for primary care trusts to commission local enhanced services in relation to PAD or for its treatment.

Hepatitis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has  (a) taken and  (b) plans to take to improve diagnosis rates of hepatitis C; what representations he has received on this issue since June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Hepatitis C: Action Plan for England (2004) sets out a national framework for the national health service and other key stakeholders to strengthen efforts to tackle hepatitis C, including by increased diagnosis. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.
	Since then the Department has funded the hepatitis C awareness campaign, which has contributed to increased hepatitis C testing, diagnosis and treatment. The campaign, for healthcare professionals and the public, uses a range of methods of communication, including:
	information leaflets for healthcare professionals and the public;
	press, radio and bus advertising;
	a hepatitis C awareness website;
	a freephone information line; and
	an innovative touring photography exhibition in partnership with local national health service organisations and other stakeholders.
	This will continue in 2008-09.
	Since June 2007, the Department has received approximately 10 representations on this issue from hon. Members in their own right or on behalf of constituents, members of the public and the voluntary sector.

Hygiene: Domestic Safety

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission research on standards of hygiene in domestic kitchens and their implications for public health.

Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency has no current plans to fund further research on standards of hygiene in the domestic kitchen, having funded a number of projects in the past. The FSA recognises the importance of good food hygiene and is actively working to promote appropriate messages to consumers to encourage best practice in the home. The FSA will consider commissioning research should specific problems or issues relating to hygiene in the domestic kitchen arise in the future.

Influenza: Disease Control

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of the self-assessment audit tools issued to the NHS in November 2007 to help strengthen pandemic influenza plans, as referred to on page 16 of his Department's NHS Winter Report 2007-08, published on 9 April 2008; whether the results of the audit will be collated at a national level; what steps he is taking to support NHS organisations in addressing issues raised in the audit; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Copies of the self-assessment questionnaires issued to strategic health authorities (SHAs) have been placed in the Library.
	The findings of the self-assessment are currently being considered at SHA level. This will assist in identifying where further improvements are required. Additional work is being done centrally to support the national health service in its preparedness planning.

Influenza: Disease Control

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has identified groups for which the pre-exposure prophylactic use of antivirals in the event of an influenza pandemic is required.

Dawn Primarolo: We currently have a sufficient stockpile of antiviral medicines to treat 25 per cent. of the population. In November 2007 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced proposals for the stockpile to be increased to cover 50 per cent. of the population. The adoption of a policy of household prophylaxis is still being considered by the Department.

Influenza: Disease Control

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health between what dates Operation United Endeavour II ran in January 2008, as stated on page 16 of his Department's NHS Winter Report 2007-08, published on 9 April 2008; when Operation United Endeavour I was run; what the outcomes were of Operations United Endeavour  (a) I and  (b) II; what form the daily cross-Government pandemic influenza report takes; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Operation United Endeavour II took place between 14-18 January 2008. The previous United Endeavour exercise took place in November 2005.
	The exercises demonstrated that the arrangements in place for surveillance during a pandemic are able to function effectively. A number of lessons to enhance the robustness and resilience of the system were identified in United Endeavour II which are being addressed. These include enhancements to the daily cross-Government pandemic influenza report which provides Ministers with the necessary information for key strategic and tactical decisions during a pandemic.

Organ Donors

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the data collected by the UKT Potential Donor Audit; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The UK Transplant (part of NHS Blood and Transplant) national potential donor audit (PDA) began in January 2003, as part of a series of measures to improve organ donation. The principal aim of this audit is to determine the potential number of organ donors in the United Kingdom. Data are collected on every patient death in an intensive care unit.
	A PDA summary report for the 24-month period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2007 has been placed in the Library. The report and further information are available on the UK Transplant website at
	www.uktransplant.org.uk/ukt/statistics/potential_donor_audit/potential_donor_audit.jsp

Pharmacy

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has had discussions with the Office of Fair Trading on surgery drug dispensaries and the proposed changes to dispensing powers outlined in the Pharmacy White Paper.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has had no such discussions since publication of the White Paper Pharmacy in England: Building on Strengthsdelivering the Future (Cm7341) on 3 April 2008. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.

Pregnant Women

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of pregnant women who are not registered with a general practitioner; and what steps his Department is taking to identify such women.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

Social Services: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government plan to take to improve social care provision.

Ivan Lewis: In December 2007, we published Putting People First, a cross-sector concordat establishing the collaboration between central and local government, the sector's professional leadership, providers and the regulator. It set out the shared aims and values which transform adult social care and people's experience of local support and services. At that time we also announced the Social Care Reform Grant, a new, ringfenced grant of 520 million over the three years from 2008-09 to 2010-11. The expectation is that in the next three years councils will have made significant steps towards redesigning and reshaping their adult social care services, with the majority having most of the core components of a personalised system in place by 2011.
	On 10 June we published the new carers strategy, Carers at the heart of 21(st) century families and communities: a caring system on your side, a life of your own. The strategy sets an ambitious vision focusing on providing greater services and support for carers over the next 10 years. Specifically, in the short term, to kick-start the process of improving support for carers, we are investing an additional 150 million in providing breaks for carers, up to 38 million in helping carers combine paid employment and caring and over 6 million in support for young carers. Furthermore, we are committed, in the longer term, to reviewing the structure of the benefits available to carers in the context of wider benefit reform and the fundamental review of the care and support system. In total, we are investing 255 million in the short-term commitments included in the strategy. This investment builds on the annual carers grant for local authorities to enable them to support carers (this stands at 224 million in 2008-09).
	Finally, on 12 May 2008 the Government launched a process for extensive public engagement, which will lead to a Green Paper identifying key issues and options for reform of the core and support system to be published in early 2009.

Strokes

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department  (a) has commissioned,  (b) plans to commission and  (c) has evaluated on the (i) causes and (ii) means of prevention of a transient ischaemic attack; when his Department last undertook a review of those matters that took into account (A) UK and (B) international research; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department funds national health service research and development through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR Health Technology Assessment, Service Development and Organisation, and Research for Patient Benefit programmes have each supported recently completed or current research of direct relevance to the hon. Member's question.
	The work programme of the Institute's Oxford Biomedical Research Centre has a stroke theme, of which part is devoted to the early prevention of stroke. Two NIHR programme grants with a total value of 2.8 million have been awarded for projects also concerned with stroke prevention. Further details are available on the NIHR website at
	www.nihr.ac.uk.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. In 2006-07 the MRC spent 6.8 million on stroke-related research, much of which will be of relevance to transient ischaemic attack.
	The Department, together with academics, clinicians, the voluntary sector and stroke survivors and their carers, looked at the available evidence in relation to the treatment and prevention of transient ischaemic attack when preparing the National Stroke Strategy. The strategy was published in December 2007 and makes recommendations to the NHS about the most effective way to treat those who have a transient ischaemic attack. Copies of the strategy are available in the Library.

PRIME MINISTER

Intelligence and Security Committee: Manpower

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister who the  (a) clerk is and  (b) secretariat are of the Intelligence and Security Committee.

Gordon Brown: The clerk and secretariat of the Intelligence and Security Committee are civil servants employed by the Cabinet Office. They are appointed in accordance with the rules governing all civil service appointments.

JUSTICE

Criminal Proceedings

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1111W, on criminal proceedings, 
	(1)  when the working group on the Very High Cost Case (VHCC) scheme will make its proposals for the next VHCC scheme; and whether these will be published;
	(2)  how frequently the working group on the Very High Cost Case scheme meets.

Maria Eagle: The working group on Very High Cost Cases (VHCC) aims to present initial proposals for the next VHCC scheme by 8 July 2008. Detailed proposals will then be developed and will be subject to public consultation in due course.
	The working group meets on a regular basis at appropriate points, rather than following a particular pattern of meetings.

Departmental Aviation

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) the Central Office of Information who are entitled to travel on a business class or first class air fare on official business are permitted to travel in a cheaper class; and what (i) financial and (ii) other benefits staff are permitted to accrue from any saving.

Michael Wills: Staff entitled to travel business or first class are permitted to travel in a cheaper class.
	Staff are not permitted to accrue any financial cost or other benefits from any savings made as a result of a downgrade in the class of air fare.
	As the Department meets the financial cost of official travel, any savings made would be accrued by the Department and not the travelling officer.
	The Central Office of Information is not a component of the Ministry of Justice and we are therefore unable to respond on its behalf. The Central Office of Information's Chief Executive reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Departmental Postal Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on sending mail overseas in each year since 2001, broken down by delivery company.

Michael Wills: My Department does not hold central records of the amount spent on sending mail overseas. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Participation

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead of 22 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 2012-24W, on departmental public participation, if he will place in the Library a copy of each report and the data from the Constitution directorate tracker survey conducted by Ipsos MORI in the last 12 months.

Michael Wills: The constitution directorate tracker survey was conducted in three stages during the 2007-08 financial year, with fieldwork taking place in July, November and March. Departmental statisticians have produced six reports based on the raw survey datasets, two for each wave, containing all of the headline data. Copies of these reports have been placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Security

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many departmental identity cards or departmental passes have been reported lost or stolen in the last 24 months in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its executive agencies.

Michael Wills: The numbers of reported losses and thefts are as follows:
	
		
			   Department  HMCS  HMPS  Office of Public Guardian 
			  Lost passes 
			 2006 113 39 131 (1) 
			 2007 45 14 127 18 
			 2008 to May No record 0 27 16 
			  
			  Stolen passes 
			 2006 6 2 17 (1) 
			 2007 7 0 7 16 
			 2008 to May (1) 2 3 2 
			 (1) No record. 
		
	
	Only one identity card has been reported lost or stolen in the last 24 months
	It has not been possible to split all 2006 figures to show the last 24 months but figures are included for the period to May 2008. Records of card replacement for the Tribunals Service and the new HQ system do not indicate the reason.
	In the Ministry of Justice, the responsibility for administering the issue and return of security passes sits with respective business areas rather than centrally. As a consequence, details for the Probation Service (whose services are administered via 42 separate business areas) could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Economic and Monetary Union

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what date  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies last updated their euro changeover plans; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of each.

Michael Wills: The former DCA had a detailed Euro Changeover Plan in place by the end of 2004, as requested by HM Treasury. The plan was reviewed regularly, with the latest Highlight Report dated March 2006. This plan covered the following areas:
	DCA Corporate HQ
	Courts Service
	Court Funds Office
	Information Commissioners Office
	Judge Advocate General
	Judicial Studies Board
	Law Commission
	Legal Services Commission
	Legal Services Ombudsman
	Official Solicitor and Public Trustee
	Public Guardianship Office
	Scotland Office
	Tribunals Directorate (separate Agency from April 2006)
	Wales Office
	Land Registry.
	There are no plans at present to place a copy in the Library.
	The prisons and probation services and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform were included in the Home Office plan. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will be responding to the question in respect of the Home Office.

Elections: Fraud

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to prevent the opportunities for electoral fraud identified in the judgment on electoral fraud in Slough; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: We have noted the findings and comments in the judgment of the election court. Since 2005, the Government have introduced a range of new measures to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system, and there have been very few proven incidences of fraud since the new measures were brought into force. They include:
	Clear new powers for electoral administrators to cross-check applications to register to vote against other information the council holds.
	New requirement for electors to provide personal identifiers (signature and date of birth) if they wish to have a postal vote. The identifiers must be replicated by electors when they subsequently cast their postal vote, and will be cross-checked with the original samples to ensure the postal vote is valid.
	Administrators get more time to check postal vote applications because people have to apply for a postal vote a minimum of 11 working days before the close of poll (the previous minimum was six days).
	Postal vote applicants have to specify a reason if they want their postal vote to be sent to an address other than that at which they are registered.
	Electoral administrators write to everyone who has applied for a postal vote at their registered address acknowledging receipt of their application and confirming the outcomethis will alert people to any applications for postal votes made falsely on their behalf.
	The Government are working to improve the electoral register, and agree in principle with individual registration. However, the ground needs to be prepared; unlike Northern Ireland, where there had been a perception of over-registration, in Great Britain there is an issue of under-registration, with in the region of 3.5 million eligible electors not on the electoral register. A rapid and unplanned move to individual registration would exacerbate that situation.
	We will take account of the election court's judgment in any further development on electoral registration and postal voting processes and legislation.

Elections: Fraud

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the level of postal vote fraud.

Bridget Prentice: Overall, the incidence of postal voting fraud remains relatively low. It is also apparent that the cases that have arisen relate to only a small number of authorities across the country.
	However, the Government take the risk of electoral fraud extremely seriously. We have put in place a range of measures to safeguard the security of postal voting. These include the introduction of a system of personal identifiers for postal voters to ensure that postal votes counted at an election are valid. We are also continuing to work closely with the Electoral Commission, police, political parties and returning officers to raise awareness and strengthen systems to ensure that fraud is detected and prosecuted.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people eligible but not registered to vote in each of the last 11 years, broken down by region; and what assessment he has made of the effects of individual voter registration on the level of voter registration;
	(2)  what the average rate of voter registration is in the 100  (a) least and  (b) most deprived wards; what assessment he has made of the effects of individual voter registration on the rate of registration in such wards; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Government have not made any estimate of the number of people eligible but not registered to vote in each of the last 11 years, as such information is not available for all of that period. However, the Electoral Commission estimated that 3.5 million eligible electors were not registered to vote in its report 'Understanding Electoral Registration', which was published in 2005.
	It is not known what the average rate of voter registration is in the 100  (a) least and  (b) most deprived wards as this information is not collected, but we are aware that any new system of electoral registration in Great Britain would need to be tailored to current circumstances, and in particular would need to address the challenge of under-registration.
	The Government are committed to the principle of individual registration. But this will be a far-reaching reform, and it will need to be undertaken with great careboth to make sure a new system is robust, and to ensure that it properly tackles the problem of under-registration.
	Our vision for electoral registration is clear: we want to protect the rights of every eligible person to participate in the United Kingdom's democratic process by ensuring complete, accurate and secure electoral registration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of those eligible were registered to vote in each ward in Denbighshire in each of the last 11 years;
	(2)  what the change in level of voter registration among eligible people has been in those 50  (a) constituencies and  (b) local authority wards with the lowest level of voter registration in 2001 since that date, ranked in descending order by magnitude of change.

Tom Watson: I have been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 June 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your questions asking how many and what proportion of those eligible were registered to vote in each ward in Denbighshire in each of the last 11 years (211367) and what the change in level of voter registration among eligible people has been in those 50  (a) constituencies and  (b) local authority wards with the lowest level of voter registration in 2001 since that date, ranked in descending order by magnitude of change. (211464).
	Figures for the Parliamentary electorate for each ward in Denbighshire from 1996 to 2007 are provided in Tables la and 1b.
	ONS does not hold data for the population eligible to vote in parliamentary elections, which includes British Citizens resident overseas and excludes foreign citizens (from outside the British Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland) resident within the England and Wales.
	
		
			  Table la: Number registered to vote in parliamentary elections in each ward in Denbighshire, 1996-1998 
			  1996 1997 1998 
			 Denbighshire County(l) 71,658 70,665 70,084 
			 Bodelwyddan 1,312 1,378 1,402 
			 Corwen 1,805 1,807 1,795 
			 Denbigh Central 1,365 1,384 1,329 
			 Denbigh Lower 3,118 3,162 3,187 
			 Denbigh Upper/Henllan 2,524 2,536 2,467 
			 Dyserth 1,881 1,898 1,846 
			 Efenechtyd 973 965 988 
			 Llanarmon-yn-Ial/Llandegla 1,989 2,021 2,034 
			 Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd 1,123 1,095 1,085 
			 Llandrillo 849 882 894 
			 Llandyrnog 967 969 976 
			 Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd/Gwyddelwern 1,764 1,783 1,794 
			 Llangollen 2,657 3,056 3,059 
			 Llangollen Rural 1,861 0 0 
			 Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch 1,110 1,138 1,116 
			 Llanynys 892 901 902 
			 Meliden 1,564 1,567 1,553 
			 Prestatyn Central 2,692 2,715 2,681 
			 Prestatyn East 3,028 3,045 3,010 
			 Prestatyn North 4,104 4,106 4,114 
			 Prestatyn South West 2,626 2,608 2,551 
			 Rhuddlan 3,116 3,179 3,210 
			 Rhyl East 3,668 3,768 3,677 
			 Rhyl South 3,014 2,997 3,002 
			 Rhyl South East 4,987 5,039 4,989 
			 Rhyl South West 3,734 3,726 3,699 
			 Rhyl West 3,549 3,602 3,428 
			 Ruth in 4,115 4,111 4,069 
			 St.Asaph East 1,314 1,303 1,307 
			 St.Asaph West 1,290 1,270 1,248 
			 Trefnant 1,482 1,488 1,489 
			 Tremeirchion 1,185 1,166 1,183 
			 (1). As created by The County of Denbighshire Electoral Arrangements Order 1994 and as altered by The Denbighshire and Wrexham (Areas) Order 1996   Source:  Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  1 b: Number registered to vote in parliamentary elections in each ward in Denbighshire, 199 9 2007 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Denbighshire county(1) 68,882 67,802 68,422 68,93 66,371 67,925 70,014 71,094 66,516 
			 Bodelwyddan 1,397 1,335 1,410 1,417 1,387 1,391 1,415 1,523 1,540 
			 Corwen 1,738 1,696 1,768 1,774 1,699 1,702 1,762 1,807 1,860 
			 Denbigh Central 1,309 1,275 1,299 1,262 1,164 1,301 1,310 1,310 1,348 
			 Denbigh Lower 3,140 3,162 3,108 3,201 3,211 3,231 3,325 3,373 3,407 
			 Denbigh Upper/Henllan 2,489 2,431 2,420 2,385 2,275 2,368 2,376 2,416 2,499 
			 Dyserth(2) 1,848 1,809 1,894 1,902 1,741 1,766 1,815 1,867 1,931 
			 Efenechtyd 1,242 1,222 1,221 1,231 1,231 1,209 1,227 1,236 0 
			 Llanarmon-yn-Ial/Llandegla 1,776 1,771 1,758 1,777 1,768 1,794 1,847 1,857 0 
			 Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd/Llangynhafal 1,125 1,128 1,170 1,168 1,123 1,119 1,144 1,156 1,172 
			 Llandrillo 886 864 868 877 864 875 907 922 945 
			 Llandyrnog 1,551 1,490 1,546 1,539 1,560 1,572 1,606 1,619 0 
			 Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd/Gwyddelwern 1,750 1,709 1,713 1,749 1,748 1,731 1,772 1,798 0 
			 Llangollen 2,981 2,896 2,803 2,949 2,956 2,993 3,047 3,114 3,207 
			 Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch 1,452 1,431 1,453 1,462 1,410 1,443 1,472 1,478 1,518 
			 Prestatyn Central 2,685 2,635 2,670 2,659 2,550 2,598 2,664 2,666 2,759 
			 Prestatyn East 2,983 2,937 3,001 3,013 2,883 2,881 3,006 3,073 3,173 
			 Prestatyn Meliden 1,544 1,451 1,498 1,507 1,444 1,481 1,518 1,538 1,560 
			 Prestatyn North 3,955 3,980 3,988 4,004 3,896 4,141 4,408 4,495 4,655 
			 Prestatyn South West(2) 2,489 2,493 2,518 2,481 2,502 2,556 2,638 2,625 2,735 
			 Rhuddlan(2) 3,130 3,127 3,156 3,202 2,679 2,724 2,760 2,808 2,916 
			 Rhyl East 3,578 3,502 3,590 3,595 3,486 3,552 3,620 3,735 3,737 
			 Rhyl South(2) 3,013 3,030 2,996 2,995 2,895 2,943 3,005 3,013 3,082 
			 Rhyl South East(2) 4,963 4,880 5,094 5,192 5,208 5,511 5,672 5,707 5,915 
			 Rhyl South West 3,708 3,662 3,664 3,607 3,205 3,433 3,534 3,567 3,573 
			 Rhyl West 3,078 3,000 2,750 2,761 2,464 2,457 2,777 2,960 3,317 
			 Ruthin 4,068 3,974 3,988 3,957 3,935 4,001 4,062 4,082 4,190 
			 St. Asaph East 1,301 1,295 1,320 1,329 1,313 1,319 1,320 1,323 1,369 
			 St Asaph West 1,153 1,116 1,201 1,178 1,155 1,179 1,282 1,288 1,322 
			 Trefnant 1,402 1,375 1,409 1,444 1,420 1,440 1,486 1,502 1,524 
			 Tremeirchion 1,148 1,126 1,148 1,176 1,199 1,214 1,237 1,236 1,262 
			 (1) As created by The County of Denbighshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998. (2). 2003 electorate as amended by the Dyserth, Prestatyn, Rhuddlan, Rhyl Communities Order 2003.  Source: Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	continued

Equality

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to establish a strategy to tackle age discrimination and promote age equality in the provision of goods and services  (a) by the Department and  (b) within the sectors for which he has policy responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: There is currently no statutory requirement to ensure age equality in the provision of goods and services. However, Ministry of Justice equality impact assessment procedures include a requirement to consider age-related issues as part of the policy development process. This covers initiatives within the MOJ and its agencies.
	The Government have considered the case for prohibiting age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services as part of their consultation paper on proposals for the Equality Bill, A Framework for Fairness. The Government will publish their response to the consultation shortly.

Morning Star

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many copies of the  Morning Star (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies procures on subscription each week; and at what cost.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice receives two copies of the  Morning Star every day (Monday to Friday) at a cost of 6 per week.
	Her Majesty's Court Service, The Land Registry, the Boundary Commission for England, the Judicial Appointments Commission, the Office of the Public Guardian, Boundary Commission for Wales, the Tribunals Service, the Legal Service Commission and the National Archives do not receive any copies of the  Morning Star on subscription.

National Identity: Public Participation

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 975W, on politics and government, what the final cost was of the consultation on a Statement of Values held in Leicester on 10 December 2007.

Jack Straw: The final cost of the of the Governance of Britain event held in Leicester on 10 December 2007 was 36,963.50.

National Identity: Public Participation

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) Ministers,  (b) officials,  (c) representatives of local authorities,  (d) invited members of the public and  (e) non-invited members of the public attended the consultation event on a Statement of Values in Leicester on 10 December 2007.

Jack Straw: A total of 120 people (excluding Ministers and officials) attended the event in Leicester on 10 December 2007. They included:
	 (a) The Minister of State and me;
	 (b) 19 Officials who acted as table facilitators and note takers;
	 (c) 21 representatives of local authorities, including both elected members and officials;
	 (d) 110 invited members of the public attended as full delegates at the event;
	 (e) In addition, approximately 10 non-invited members of the public attended the public Q and A session.
	In addition, 20 young people attended a question and answer session with me earlier in the day.

National Identity: Public Participation

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of producing the YouTube video of the consultation event on a Statement of Values held in Leicester on 10 December 2007.

Jack Straw: No external costs were incurred in producing the YouTube video of the Governance of Britain event held in Leicester on 10 December 2007. The filming, editing and uploading of the video were carried out by an in-house film crew and the Ministry of Justice's internal communications team.

Official Secrets Act 1989: Prosecutions

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions for an offence under section 8 of the Official Secrets Act 1989 there have been since the Act came into force.

Maria Eagle: Since the Official Secrets Act 1989 came into force on 1 March 1990, no prosecutions and convictions have been counted by the Ministry of Justice under section 8 of the Act.
	The court proceedings data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

Powers of Attorney

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average time between first receipt of notice of registration of a lasting power of attorney by the Office of the Public Guardian and the point at which the lasting power of attorney becomes usable in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the time taken to process lasting powers of attorney on the wellbeing of elderly people in England.

Bridget Prentice: Lasting powers of attorney (LPAs) were introduced by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and came into force in October 2007. As of 11 June 2008 the average time taken from receipt of an application to registration by the Office of the Public Guardian was 12 weeks. This time is currently three weeks longer than the OPG's targets in this area. The overall time includes a statutory six-week waiting period during which objections to registration can be made to the Public Guardian and which represents a valuable safeguard against the potential abuse of vulnerable people.
	No immediate assessment has been made concerning the effects of the time taken to process and register an LPA. LPAs are not designed for immediate use but as a method for people to plan ahead for a time when they may lack capacity. The OPG will be making an assessment of how the new legislation is operating from October 2008 once the Act has been in operation for a full year. A key element of this review will be an evaluation of how well lasting powers of attorney are meeting people's needs and the impact of the new forms, practices and procedures on the people they are intended to support.

Powers of Attorney

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether application fees for powers of attorney to the Office of the Public Guardian are payable if  (a) the target time for reply is not reached and  (b) the target time for reply is not reached and the person for whom the applicant applies subsequently dies before reply;
	(2)  what the target time is for processing applications for powers of attorney by the Office of the Public Guardian;
	(3)  how many applications for powers of attorney were not replied to in the target time by the Office of the Public Guardian in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The current fee regulations for both Lasting Powers of Attorney and Enduring Powers of Attorney require a fee to be paid upon an application to register the power with the Office of the Public Guardian. No refund is automatically payable either if the target for registering the power is missed, or if the target is missed and the person who lacks capacity, or the applicant, dies before it is registered.
	If an applicant, or the person who lacks capacity, feels that they have suffered significant worry, distress or financial loss as a result of an unreasonable delay then they may be entitled to financial redress.
	The Office of the Public Guardian's business plan outlines the targets that have been agreed with the Ministry of Justice. For Lasting Powers of Attorney, these targets, together with the statutory waiting period, give a maximum expected end-to-end processing time of nine weeks. This includes two weeks to process and check the application, a six-week statutory waiting period during which objections to registration can be made, and a further week to notify parties of registration. For Enduring Powers of Attorney the maximum expected end-to-end processing time is six weeks, which includes a five-week statutory waiting period followed by a week to notify parties of registration.
	Since 2003 the Public Guardianship Office, and from October the Office of the Public Guardian would have met this timescale for Enduring Powers of Attorney in virtually all cases (between 99-100 per cent.) except in 1996 when 96.3 per cent. of cases met those timescales.
	Since October 2007 the OPG has seen increasingly large numbers of applications to register powers of attorney, which has led to delays in the process for Lasting Powers of Attorney. For example, in both April and May this year total applications to register both types of powers of attorney were approximately three times as many as for the same period last year.
	This has meant that Lasting Power of Attorney applications are currently taking an average of 12 weeks to processthree weeks longer than we would expect. I regret the delays which are due to the increased volumes of business. Additional resources have already been put into place to address this. The Office of the Public Guardian expects to see delays reduced over the coming weeks so that service standards can begin to be brought back within targets.

Prisons

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  from which local authorities his Department sought information on potential locations for Titan prisons;
	(2)  whether he plans to build Titan prisons on sites in  (a) public ownership,  (b) private ownership or  (c) both; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what account he plans to take of the proximity of existing prisons when deciding where to locate new Titan prisons; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) sought information on the availability, within its statutory area of authority, of sites which meet our criteria and might be suitable and available for the construction of a Titan prison as defined by the Carter report and announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw) on 5 December 2007,  Official Report, column 821, from all public authorities in the West Midlands, London/Essex and the North West.
	NOMS set out its site requirements which are:
	Minimum site of 50 acres
	Preferably brownfield sites, regular in shape, level and not overlooked
	Ideally no restrictions such as listed buildings; rights of way across the site; other third party rights, etc.
	Good access from the Public Highway
	Ideally all mains services connections already exist
	Additionally, NOMS pointed out some of the benefits of a Titan prison which are:
	Significant, permanent job creation for 1,500 jobs across the skills range
	Economic benefits to a location of c.36 million per annum
	Funding confirmed for these major regeneration projects
	NOMS went on to invite public authorities to meet and discuss whether they were able to provide details of suitable sites within their area.
	The Ministry of Justice will seek to acquire land that meets the Titan prison criteria, whether in private or in public ownership.
	Proximity to existing prisons is not considered within the site search criteria and is not a factor for determining Titan prison sites.

Probation Service: Pay

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason Probation Service staff have not received their contractual pay increments in 2008.

Maria Eagle: Probation staff have a contractual right to pay progression from 1 April 2008, but the amount of that progression has to be negotiated as part of the annual pay settlement. Discussions relating to this settlement are currently taking place between the probation employers and the trade unions. It is hoped that a settlement will be reached as soon as possible.

Racial Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will break down by ethnicity the  (a) offender and  (b) victim of each racially aggravated offence in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Figures are available for the ethnicity of people convicted of racially aggravated offences for the five calendar years from 2002 to 2006. These statistics are in the following tables.
	From 1 April 2008, police forces have been required to collect figures on the ethnicity of victims of racially aggravated offences. These figures remain subject to further collection and quality assurance work before they can be published by the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			  Persons convicted for racially aggravated offences by ethnicity( 1)  at all courts 2002 to 2006( 2) 
			   White  Black  Asian  Other  Unknown  Total 
			 2002 174,143 7,447 15,542 10,645 1,204,424 1,412,201 
			 2003 189,990 9,904 13,013 10,332 1,257,982 1,481,221 
			 2004 197,864 12,346 10,109 7,980 1,309,689 1,537,988 
			 2005 191,281 12,170 9,580 10,330 1,251,891 1,475,252 
			 2006 188,343 12,006 9,295 9,457 1,194,672 1,413,773 
			 (1) The ethnicity classification used here is the standard 4+1 classification as used in the 2001 Census. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Criminal Justice Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform. 
		
	
	
		
			  Persons convicted for racially aggravated offences by ethnicity( 1)  at all courts 2002( 2) 
			  Offence type  White  Black  Asian  Other  Unknown  Total 
			 Homicide 153 17 15 8 432 625 
			 Attempted murder 18 1 1 1 44 65 
			 Wounding or other act endangering life 564 66 43 28 998 1,699 
			 Other more serious offences 99 8 6 1 190 304 
			 Other wounding 6,225 412 315 128 13,319 20,399 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated other wounding 48 2 4 2 88 144 
			 Assault without injury 5,853 192 246 104 22,552 28,947 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated assault without injury 84 2  2 199 287 
			 Rape 222 29 19 10 375 655 
			 Other Sexual Offences 1 ,081 70 85 41 2,452 3,729 
			 Robbery 2,260 587 260 101 4,503 7,711 
			 Burglary 7,461 363 168 119 18,580 26,691 
			 Theft and Handling 25,888 820 901 414 101,928 129,951 
			 Fraud and Forgery 3,376 287 379 169 17,254 21,465 
			 Criminal Damage 1,554 50 51 25 9,320 11,000 
			 Threat or conspiracy to murder 115 14 10 2 307 448 
			 Harassment 866 32 36 15 3,027 3,976 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated harassment 43 1 4 5 101 154 
			 Other less serious offences 11,016 423 506 182 41,008 53,135 
			 Other offences 107,217 4,071 12.493 9,288 967,747 1,100,816 
			 All Racially Aggravated Offences 174,143 7,447 15,542 10,645 1,204,424 1,412,201 
			 (1) The ethnicity classification used here is the standard 4+1 classification as used in the 2001 Census. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Criminal Justice Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform. 
		
	
	
		
			  Persons convicted for racially aggravated offences by ethnicity( 1)  at all courts 2003( 2) 
			  Offence type  White  Black  Asian  Other  Unknown  Total 
			 Homicide 212 31 20 11 247 521 
			 Attempted murder 30 9 6 9 40 94 
			 Wounding or other act endangering life 756 92 59 41 727 1,675 
			 Other more serious offences 129 11 15 5 146 306 
			 Other wounding 7,023 411 337 143 12,394 20,308 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated other wounding 66 3 2 2 84 15 
			 Assault without injury 6,708| 219 245 109 25,000 32,281 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated assault without injury 99 2 2 2 255 360 
			 Rape 310 40 38 12 273 673 
			 Other Sexual Offences 1,343 97 104 52 2,086 3,682 
			 Robbery 2,569 678 250 139 3,667 7303 
			 Burglary 7,719 418 188 145 17,256 25, 726 
			 Theft and Handling 25,233 938 850 383 94,247 121,651 
			 Fraud and Forgery 3,564 333 461 190 16,716 21,264 
			 Criminal Damage 2,145 63 63 65 8,897 11,233 
			 Threat or conspiracy to murder 186 5 20 5 327 543 
			 Harassment 953 27 62 23 3,169 4,234 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated harassment 50 2 3  114 169 
			 Other less serious offences 11,949 496 564 190 43,758 56,957 
			 Other offences 118,946 6,029 9,724 8,806 1,028,579 1,172,084 
			 All Racially Aggravated Offences 189,990 9,904 13,013 10,332 1,357,982 1,481,221 
			 (1) The ethnicity classification used here is the standard 4+1 classification as used in the 2001 Census. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Criminal Justice Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform. 
		
	
	
		
			  Persons convicted for racially aggravated offences by ethnicity( 1)  at all courts 2004( 2) 
			  Offence type  White  Black  Asian  Other  Unknown  Total 
			 Homicide 3191 72 38 22 175 626 
			 Attempted murder 42 7 10 6 31 96 
			 Wounding or other act endangering life 1 ,083 157 102 48 507 1,897 
			 Other more serious offences 149 15 22 9 119, 314 
			 Other wounding 7,700 556 392 200 10,896 19,744 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated other wounding 80 4 3  70 157 
			 Assault without injury 7,556 287 277 100 30,109 38,329 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated assault without injury 153 6 7 3 340 509 
			 Rape 414 75 45 27 190 751 
			 Other Sexual Offences 1,773 131 129 52 1,949 4,034 
			 Robbery 3,073 879 311 208 3,010 7,481 
			 Burglary 7,938 515 158 123 15,518 24,252 
			 Theft and Handling 24,040 1,002 746 344 86,937 113,069 
			 Fraud and Forgery 3,385 483 466 187 16,257 20,778 
			 Criminal Damage 2,462 99 71 61 9,042 11,735 
			 Threat or conspiracy to murder 204 15 2l 8 328 576 
			 Harassment 1,007 36 49 19 3,564 4,675 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated: harassment 55 5 1 1 112 174 
			 Other less serious offences 12,624 565 519 187 47,749 61,644 
			 Other offences 123,807 7,437 6,742 6,375 1,082,786 1,227,147 
			 All Racially Aggravated Offences 197,864 12,346 10,109 7,980 1,309,689 1,537,988 
			 (1) The ethnicity classification used here is the standard 4+1 classification as used in the 2001 Census. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Criminal Justice Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform. 
		
	
	
		
			  Persons convicted for racially aggravated offences by ethnicity( 1)  at all courts 2005( 2) 
			  Offence type  White  Black  Asian  Other  Unknown  Total 
			 Homicide 363 88 35 18 152 656 
			 Attempted murder 29 12 12 3 10 66 
			 Wounding or other act endangering life 1,085 133 79 37 538 1,872 
			 Other more serious offences 185 12 20 10 117 344 
			 Other wounding 8,538 543 417 214 11,316 21,028 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated other wounding 96 5 6 1 91 199 
			 Assault without injury 9,086 356 324 114 34,865 44,745 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated assault without injury 182 10 8 2 425 627 
			 Rape 475 76 32 24 189 726 
			 Other Sexual Offences 1,912 97 138 53 1,812 4,012 
			 Robbery 2,873 756 288 164 3,002 7,083 
			 Burglary 7,526 466 140 129 14,690 22,951 
			 Theft and Handling 23,230 1,087 637 405 80,773 106,132 
			 Fraud and Forgery 3,235 637 431 257 15,809 20,369 
			 Criminal Damage 2,474 91 72 59 9,022 11,718 
			 Threat or conspiracy to murder 224 15 16 5 340 600 
			 Harassment 1,171 46 36 16 3,916 5,185 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated harassment 53 5 2  90 150 
			 Other less serious offences 13,667 617 460 225 47,128 62,097 
			 Other offences 114,877 7,118 6,427 8,594 1,027,606 1,164,622 
			 All Racially Aggravated Offences 191,281 12,170 9,580 10,330 1,251,891 1,475,252 
			 (1) The ethnicity classification used here is the standard 4+1 classification as used in the 2001 Census. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Criminal Justice Evidence and Analysis Unit - Office for Criminal Justice Reform. 
		
	
	
		
			  Persons convicted for racially aggravated offences by ethnicity( 1)  at all courts 2006( 2) 
			  Offence type  White  Black  Asian  Other  Unknown  Total 
			 Homicide 326 70 51 15 123 585 
			 Attempted murder 38 12 8 2 19 79 
			 Wounding or other act endangering life 1 ,037 162 84 46 392 1,721 
			 Other more serious offences 172 8 23 3 91 297 
			 Other wounding 9,143 607 418 193 11,281 21,642 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated other wounding 98 1 6 3 116 224 
			 Assault without injury 10,744 412 299 114 37,691 49,260 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated assault without injury 1 99 13 111 1 505 729 
			 Rape 518 91 47 24 183 863 
			 Other Sexual Offences 2,036 110 138 54 1,700 4,038 
			 Robbery 3,114 888 299 204 3,600 8,105 
			 Burglary 7,505 528 144 114 14,664 22,955 
			 Theft and Handling 22,813 1,098 636 351 76,451 101,349 
			 Fraud and Forgery 3,079 854 496 264 15,004 19,697 
			 Criminal Damage 2,714 106 88 46 9,702 12,656 
			 Threat or conspiracy to murder 210 18 20 7 263 518 
			 Harassment 1,140 51 82 21 4,040 5,334 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated harassment 62 7 1 1 127 198 
			 Other less serious offences 14,936 647 443 222 48,117 64,365 
			 Other offences 108,459 6,323 6,001 7,772 970,603 1,099,158 
			 All Racially Aggravated Offences 188,343 12,006 9,295 9,457 1,194,672 1,413,773 
			 (1) The ethnicity classification used here is the standard 4+1 classification as used in the 2001 Census. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Criminal Justice Evidence and Analysis Unit - Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Tribunals Service

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which tribunal venues were closed under the Tribunals Service venue rationalisation programme prior to 1 June 2008.

Bridget Prentice: The Tribunals Service inherited a network of hearing venues of varying quality across the UK. Many of these venues are in the same towns/cities. An examination of venue usage showed a substantial under-utilisation of courtrooms in many areas. The Tribunal Service aims to rationalise this network to unify services and operate more efficiently, by introducing a network of multi-jurisdictional hearing centres which more accurately reflect the varying demand of appeal caseload across the UK.
	Work to deliver some Tribunals Service venue rationalisation has already begun, where estate opportunities have allowed. The following table provides details of the changes which have taken place.
	
		
			  Tribunals Service venue rationalisation undertaken prior to 1 June 2008 
			  Venue  Action  Date Completed 
			  Area: Scotland   
			 Aberdeen Combine Employment Tribunals (ET) and Social Security and Child Support Appeals (SSCSA) venues in Aberdeen January 2008 
			 Dundee Combine ET and SSCSA venues into new premises in Dundee July 2007 
			 Glasgow Relocate Criminals Injuries Compensation Appeal Panel (CICAP) to current SSCSA premises in Glasgow December 2007 
			
			  Area: north-east/north-west   
			 Carlisle Combine ET and SSCSA venues in Carlisle July 2006 
			 North Shields Close SSCSA venue and move to Asylum and Immigration Tribunal venue in North Shields February 2007 
			 Hull Close SSCSA venue and combine with current ET venue in Hull January 2008 
			 Westpoint, Manchester Relocate Pensions Appeal Tribunal and Finance and Tax Tribunals to current ET and SSCSA venues in Manchester December 2007 
			
			  Area: Midlands   
			 Boston Close poor and underutilised venue and move to daily hire venue in Boston December 2007 
			 Nottingham Close SSCSA venue and combine with current ET venue in Nottingham May 2007 
			 Leicester Close SSCSA venue and move to current ET venue in Nottingham November 2007 
			
			  Area: Wales and south-west   
			 Bournemouth Move to daily hire premises in Bournemouth at lease end of current SSCSA venue September 2007 
			
			  Area: Greater London and south-east   
			 Ashford Close SSCSA venue and move to current ET venue in Ashford March 2008 
			 Brighton Close ET venue and move to current SSCSA venue in Brighton July 2006 
			 Eastbourne SSCSA venue of a poor standard. Move to a daily hire venue in Eastbourne July 2008 
			 Exeter Close SSCSA venue and move to current ET venue in Exeter March 2008 
			  Note: A 'daily hire' is a non permanent venue hired when appeal demand for a particular area dictates.

Tribunals Service

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which tribunal venues are scheduled for closure under the Tribunals Service venue rationalisation programme as at 1 June 2008; and what the planned date of each such closure is.

Bridget Prentice: The Tribunals Service has inherited a network of hearing venues of varying quality across the UK, many of which were in the same towns and cities. An examination of venue usage showed a substantial under-utilisation of courtrooms in many areas. The Tribunal Service aims to rationalise this network to unify services and operate more efficiently, by introducing a high quality network of multi-jurisdictional hearing centres which more accurately reflect the varying demand of appeal caseload across the UK.
	The proposed future network multi-jurisdictional hearing centres and the associated rationalisation plans have not yet been finalised and are currently subject to internal consultations and funding approval. The internal consultation process is due to be finalised by the end of the summer.

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the level of demand for the services provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: A survey conducted across the Ministry of Justice and a sample of our agencies and non-departmental bodies show variable levels of demand for service provision in the Welsh language, depending in part on the services provided and whether they are provided directly in Wales. The following table gives further information.
	In accordance with the Welsh Language Act 1993, the Ministry of Justice has prepared a Welsh Language Scheme, which will be put out to public consultation once it has been cleared by the Welsh Language Board. It will be formally adopted, with any necessary changes, after consultation has been completed.
	In the period before the Welsh language policy is formally adopted, the Department, in the conduct of its public business in Wales, applies the principle that the English and Welsh languages should be treated on a basis of equality so far as is appropriate in the circumstances and reasonably practicable.
	
		
			  Ministry of Justice organisation  Welsh language service provision  Indicator of take-up level in last 12 months 
			 Ministry of Justice The draft MoJ Welsh Language Scheme has been prepared and will be put out to public consultation once cleared by the Welsh Language Board. The Best Value In Probation consultation paper was published on the MoJ website on 9 April 2008 in English and Welsh. Between 9 April 2008 and 11 June 2008 there were: 76 page views of the Welsh consultation paper and 41 page views of the Welsh questionnaire. These compared to 1,824 page views of the English consultation paper pdf and 755 page views of the English questionnaire. To date no requests have been made for hard copies of the Welsh language consultation paper. The consultation exercise will close on 2 July 2008. 
			
			 Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) HMCS has its own published Welsh Language Scheme Most of the HMCS website is available in Welsh. Ensures courts provide sufficient copies of bi-lingual customer information leaflets to meet local demand. Spent 112,000 on Welsh language translations. 
			
			 Welsh Language Unit, Her Majesty's Courts Service Provides Welsh translation and interpretation services for HMCS, MoJ and her agencies. Is covered by HMCS Welsh Language Scheme. Translations completed for HMCS: 1,621. Translations completed for MoJ and her agencies (excluding HMCS): 263. County court cases: 55 cases used Welsh Language interpreters. Bench and associated meetings: Interpreters provided eight times. 
			
			 National Offender Management Service (formerly HM Prison Service and National Probation Service) A review is under way of the published NOMS Wales Welsh Language Scheme in light of recent restructuring of NOMS Wales and HM Prison Service into NOMS Cymru. Each probation area in Wales has its own Welsh Language Scheme. In accordance with an HMPS key audit baseline, the Prisoners' Information Book provided for all prisoners is printed automatically in Welsh (along with other languages) and placed in all prison libraries. 
			
			 Tribunals Service Has own published Welsh Language Scheme and Welsh speaking judiciary and administrators. Uses the services of the HMCS Welsh Language Unit. A small number of requests for Welsh language translations have been received in the period in question. In 2007-08, 9,800 was spent on translations into Welsh. 
			
			 The Boundary Commission for Wales Has own Welsh Language Scheme. Publishes documents bilingually in hard copy and on its website. No telephone calls or correspondence was received in Welsh for the period in question; however 600 was spent on translations into Welsh. 
			
			 Office for Criminal Justice Reform Is currently covered by Home Office Welsh Language Scheme. Have produced many standard publications in Welsh in last 12 months. 
			
			 Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Is developing/planning to develop its own Welsh Language Scheme. The JAC takes the initiative to translate into Welsh its material on judicial appointments in Wales. 3,900 spent on translation into Welsh in last 12 months. 
			
			 The National Archives Has its own Welsh Language policy. Responsible for Her Majesty's Stationery Office which publishes in Welsh all legislation passed by the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government as part of its statutory responsibilities under the Government of Wales Acts). There were 16,000 page views on the official legislation website for Wales in (provided in Welsh) between 1 June 2007 and 31 May 2008. This is 4 per cent. of the page views in both languages (total: 369,000). It is difficult to provide data on the level of demand for legislation in other formats (such as hard, printed copies) as they are printed in both English and Welsh within the same document. 
			
			 Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council (AJTC) (formerly Council on Tribunals or CoT) The Welsh Committee of the AJTC came into being on 1 June 2008. The AJTC is covered by the, MoJ draft Welsh Language Scheme. No requests received for materials in Welsh in specified period. In June 2007, the CoT ran a conference in Wales at which Welsh language documentation and simultaneous translation were provided in accordance with established conventions. 
			
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority Does not have a Welsh Language Scheme but automatically translates its most important publications into Welsh. 47 Welsh versions sent out of the Guide to the 2001 Compensation Scheme between October 2007 and February 2008. 
			
			 Office of the Public Guardian Has own Welsh language scheme. Most OPG guidance booklets and the Lasting Power of Attorney forms are provided automatically in Welsh. No specific requests received for translations into Welsh since OPG established in October 2007. 
			
			 Law Commission Is covered by MoJ draft Welsh Language Scheme. No requests received for Welsh translations of any Law Commission publications. 
			
			 Youth Justice Board Has own Welsh Language policy. Publishes bilingually all strategic documents and service user documentation for use in Wales; the recent YJB national conference had simultaneous translation into Welsh. Conducted a review of Welsh Language service provision in the secure estate and in Youth Offending Teams August 2007 to February 2008.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency: Finance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much the Child Support Agency paid Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs for referrals for income disclosure information in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the service level agreement between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Child Support Agency on their data sharing arrangements.

James Plaskitt: holding answer  10 June 2008
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mark Grimshaw, dated 17 June 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As the Chief Executive is currently out of the office on business, I am responding, with his authority, on his behalf.
	; and
	If he will place in the Library a copy of the service level agreement between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Child Support Agency on their data sharing arrangements.
	The Child Support Agency paid a total of 627,000 to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in 2007/08 to cover the costs associated with information requests relating to the location of a non-resident parent as well as information relating to income. The Agency is unable to identify the costs relating solely to income disclosure.
	It is worth noting that the transfer of funds from the Agency ensures both that cross-departmental service is provided at full economic costs in order for value for money to be demonstrated and that all costs associated with administering child maintenance are captured.
	There are three service level agreements which relate to data sharing between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the Child Support Agency. These provide for information to be shared in respect of Tax Credits, National Insurance Contributions, and by the Debt Management and Banking Division. The latter replaces an earlier agreement with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and is currently in the process of being finalised.
	These agreements are reviewed and revised regularly and therefore are liable to significant change over the course of the year. I have therefore arranged for copies of the service level agreements to be forwarded direct to you under separate cover.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people on the minimum wage use electronic childcare vouchers.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available.

Departmental Advertising

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department's 'No Ifs, No Buts' advertising campaign has cost to date.

Anne McGuire: The Targeting Benefit Thieves campaign, 'No Ifs, No Buts', was launched in October 2006. The following table details spend on the 'No Ifs, No Buts' campaign costs since its inception in 2006.
	
		
			   000 
			   Campaign spend 
			 2006-07 6,568 
			 2006-08 6,374 
			  Notes: 1. Figures given are for actual spend for the Targeting Benefit Thieves (October 2006 to March 2008) campaign. 2. All figures are exclusive of VAT. 3. The figures in this table refer to media spend, design, PR,, production, research and any other associated costs. 4. All figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

European Skills Assessment

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on working towards the European skills assessment.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	We welcome the 2008 Spring European Council's invitation to the European Commission to conduct a European Skills Review to present a comprehensive assessment of the future skills requirements in Europe up to 2020. We hope the review will help all member states examine and address their future skills challenges and develop their own responses to likely demands. To date, the work with the Commission and other member states to establish the European Skills Review has been carried out during our normal dialogue with these partners, and so has not occurred additional costs.

Jobcentre Plus: Dorset

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what annual savings will result from the withdrawal from 12 May 2008 of access to the week day evening out-of-hours service operated by Jobcentre Plus for his Department's customers in Dorset and Somerset.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves, dated 17 June 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what annual savings will result from the withdrawal from the 12th May 2008 of access to the week-day evening Out of Hours Service operated by Jobcentre Plus for his Department's customers in Dorset and Somerset This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Ms Strathie as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. I am replying in her absence as Acting Chief Executive.
	If the level of access to our weekend Out of Hours Service (Saturday and Sunday) in Dorset and Somerset continues at 2007/08 levels, we anticipate a reduction in administrative costs of 28%, amounting to 5,855 per annum.

Jobseekers Allowance: Students

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time students responsible for a child aged under 16 or a young person aged under 20 claimed jobseeker's allowance or income support during the summer vacation from a full-time course of non-advanced education in the last three years for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: holding answer  9 June 2008
	The information requested is not available.

Post Office Card Account

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 1845-46W, on the Post Office card account, what the maximum number of outlets where the card account is to be operated is; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer  5 June 2008
	There will be no maximum number of outlets at which the successor to the Post Office card account will be available.

Post Office Card Account

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people hold a Post Office card account, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the precise format requested.
	Information showing the number of DWP benefit and pension payment accounts paid into a Post Office card account for each parliamentary constituency has been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) training and  (b) support options are offered to (i) those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance, (ii) those in receipt of incapacity benefit, (iii) those on the new deal for lone parents and (iv) partners of new deal claimants; and for what reasons distinctions are made between the options available to those in each category.

Stephen Timms: Jobcentre Plus advisers give support and advice to all their customers. This includes, but is not limited to, advice about benefits, vacancies, training possibilities and child care.
	Training is provided to Jobcentre Plus customers from a variety of sources including private and voluntary sector providers. The specific training needs of the individual are identified during an interview between the personal adviser and the customer.
	Although the route to training may vary between the various client groups (for example new deal 25 plus, pathways to work, new deal for lone parents) the broad range of training is available to all. Advisers will tailor training towards the particular needs of the individual to ensure that they maximise their chances of returning to employment.
	The support available to each client group is tailored towards the type of specialist help and support they need based upon available resources. This support has been developed over time, either as a result of the evaluation of what individuals need, or by the evaluation of the effectiveness of programmes and pilots, in helping these client groups to enter, remain in and progress in work.
	Further information can be found at the Jobcentre Plus website,
	www.jobcentreplus.co.uk.

Social Security Benefits

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value of unclaimed means-tested  (a) benefits,  (b) pension credit,  (c) disability related allowances and  (d) attendance allowance was in each of the last three years.

James Plaskitt: Estimates of the value of unclaimed means-tested benefits in Great Britain, covering income support, pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based), are published in the report Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2006-07. A copy of this report, along with past reports, has been placed in the Library.
	Estimates for means-tested disability related allowances and attendance allowance are not available.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of children lived in households where at least one person was claiming  (a) income support,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) job seeker's allowance at the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The most recent available information is in the table. It is important to note that these categories overlap; if the claimant is in receipt of more than one of the benefits listed, a child will appear in each relevant category. This means that the three categories cannot be added together to calculate the overall number and proportion of children living in households which are in receipt of these benefits. The figures also include children in households where people are both in receipt of benefit and working.
	
		
			  Children dependent on a parent or guardian claiming income support (IS), incapacity benefit (IB), and jobseeker's allowance (JSA) as at April 2007 
			   Dependent children aged 0-15  Proportion of dependent children aged 0-15 
			 Parent/guardian claiming IS 1,805,575 16.2 
			 Parent/guardian claiming IB 570,210 5.1 
			 Parent/guardian claiming JSA 164,550 1.5 
			 Notes: 1. All caseload figures supplied have been rounded to the nearest five. 2. Information is for a snapshot in time of claimants on the computer system, and will, therefore, exclude a very small number of cases that are held clerically. 3. Data represents children dependent on a parent or guardian who is claiming incapacity benefit, jobseekers allowance, or income support. 4. Due to the introduction of child tax credits in April 2003, information on child dependents is not reliably completed on the benefit computer system therefore children have been merged onto benefit claims from child benefit records with permission from HMRC. 5. If the claimant is in receipt of more than one of the benefits listed a child will appear in each relevant category. 6. The total number of children with child benefit aged 0-15 has been used as percentage denominators  Source: DWP Information Directorate 
		
	
	The number and proportion of children whose parent or guardian is in receipt of one or more of these benefits is presented in the following table. The figures also include children in households where people are both in receipt of benefit and working. This data therefore differ from those used to measure progress against the public service agreement target for children in workless households, which is measured using the Labour Force survey. Since 1997 the proportion of children living in workless households in Great Britain has fallen from 18.7 per cent. to 16 per cent. in quarter 2 of 2007, which is a reduction of 405,000.
	
		
			  Children dependent on a parent or guardian claiming income support (IS), incapacity benefit (IB), or jobseeker's allowance (JSA) as at April 2007 
			   Dependent children aged 0-15  Proportion of dependent children aged 0-15 
			 Parent/guardian claiming one or more of IS, IB and JSA 2,189,960 19.7 
			  Notes: 1. All caseload figures supplied have been rounded to the nearest five. 2. Information is for a snapshot in time of claimants on the computer system, and will, therefore, exclude a very small number of cases that are held clerically. 3. Data represents children dependent on a parent or guardian who is claiming incapacity benefit, jobseekers allowance, or income support. 4. Due to the introduction of child tax credits in April 2003, information on child dependents is not reliably completed on the benefit computer system therefore children have been merged onto benefit claims from child benefit records with permission from HMRC. 5. The total number of children with child benefit aged 0-15 has been used as percentage denominators.  Source: DWP Information Directorate

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each London borough were  (a) prosecuted for and  (b) convicted of benefit fraud offences in each of the last five years; and what the cost of pursuing such prosecutions was.

James Plaskitt: Information regarding DWP-administered benefits is not available below national and regional level.
	The available information regarding the local authority administered benefits, housing benefit and council tax benefit, is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Total number of cases accepted for prosecution 
			  Local authority  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Barking 0 1 15 11 9 
			 Barnet 14 30 26 27 21 
			 Bexley 24 31 23 31 26 
			 Brent 10 15 36 54 30 
			 Bromley 4 18 30 35 34 
			 Camden 1 9 5 22 2 
			 City of London 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Croydon 8 39 20 17 33 
			 Ealing 27 41 34 41 15 
			 Enfield 0 9 62 75 30 
			 Greenwich 17 31 48 68 39 
			 Hackney 5 0 35 14 20 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 13 40 39 50 33 
			 Haringey 12 11 38 19 4 
			 Harrow 2 3 16 20 32 
			 Havering 6 13 14 18 23 
			 Hillingdon 15 34 13 9 15 
			 Hounslow 13 13 10 18 21 
			 Islington 15 14 18 19 n/a 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 15 12 36 n/a 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 6 5 9 2 
			 Lambeth 0 47 22 49 61 
			 Lewisham 17 29 42 79 n/a 
			 Merton 0 2 3 5 7 
			 Newham 19 56 32 12 10 
			 Redbridge 62 32 35 52 15 
			 Richmond upon Thames 4 4 1 3 13 
			 Southwark 17 38 31 39 50 
			 Sutton 20 13 14 16 8 
			 Tower Hamlets 2 2 5 14 34 
			 Waltham Forest 7 17 29 45 16 
			 Wandsworth 18 15 13 19 12 
			 Westminster 17 24 23 18 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  Total number of guilty verdicts obtained 
			  Local authority  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Barking 0 1 7 3 12 
			 Barnet 11 18 18 27 26 
			 Bexley 22 19 15 26 22 
			 Brent 9 14 13 43 26 
			 Bromley 3 10 14 21 32 
			 Camden 2 9 4 15 7 
			 City of London 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Croydon 7 17 16 13 19 
			 Ealing 18 36 25 30 37 
			 Enfield 0 6 54 55 40 
			 Greenwich 23 27 45 59 36 
			 Hackney 3 0 12 6 37 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 20 21 37 32 46 
			 Haringey 10 11 24 25 10 
			 Harrow 1 0 7 15 26 
			 Havering 1 10 15 10 20 
			 Hillingdon 15 34 13 9 15 
			 Hounslow 9 11 9 6 15 
			 Islington 14 11 6 17 n/a 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 8 7 23 25 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 3 6 5 3 
			 Lambeth 0 13 31 39 28 
			 Lewisham 16 18 35 46 n/a 
			 Merton 0 2 3 3 9 
			 Newham 11 37 29 23 n/a 
			 Redbridge 38 35 26 35 26 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2 1 2 3 13 
			 Southwark 8 22 28 30 49 
			 Sutton 15 10 12 10 11 
			 Tower Hamlets 1 1 2 13 26 
			 Waltham Forest 4 12 24 30 17 
			 Wandsworth 17 14 11 10 17 
			 Westminster 13 14 15 14 n/a 
			 n/a = data not available  Note: Data on costs in pursuing these prosecutions is not available.  Source: Estimates are based on Stats 124 administrative data returns.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Benefit Fraud Hotline and associated services cost in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  National benefit fraud hotline costs 
			
			 2002-03 876,000 
			 2003-04 935,000 
			 2004-05 1,136,000 
			 2005-06 1,213,000 
			 2006-07 1,350,000 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000. 2. The costs above are for the national benefit fraud hotline (NBFHL) and related services. These are in nominal terms. 3. The costs for 2005-06 and 2006-07 are the same as the costs used in a recent NAO report on the benefit fraud hotline. 4. At the start of 2005-06, Jobcentre Plus implemented a new accounting system for recording any costs from 2005-06 onwards. The costs for 2004-05 and prior years have therefore been extracted using archived data sources from a closed accounting system. 5. The costs above include staff and non staff costs. Non staff costs primarily include telephony related costs. 6. The national benefit fraud hotline was transferred to the contact centre directorate in 2005-06. The reported costs will therefore include the effect of any re-organisation to NBFHL over the last five reported years.  Source: National benefit fraud hotline.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Armed Forces: Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2007, Official Report, columns 1447-8W, on Armed Forces: Influenza, if he will place in the Library copies of the  (a) agendas and  (b) minutes of the meetings of the (i) MISC 32 Flu Working Group and (ii) the Pandemic Implementation Group.

Tom Watson: Information relating to the proceedings of the MISC 32 Cabinet Committee and the Pandemic Flu Implementation Group is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion and the formulation or development of Government policy.

Civil Servants: Holiday Leave

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many privilege holidays civil servants in the Cabinet Office are entitled to; and on what days of the year.

Tom Watson: Cabinet Office civil servants are entitled to 2.5 privilege day holidays annually. These are normally taken on
	Maundy Thursday afternoon.
	The Tuesday after the late May bank holiday to mark the Queen's official birthday.
	The last working day before Christmas Day or the first working day after Boxing Day.
	Cabinet Office civil servants can arrange with their managers to work an alternative day within 12 months of the designated day if, for example, they wish to use their Christmas or Maundy Thursday privilege day entitlement for other religious festivals.

Departmental Data Protection

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many times his Department was found to be in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 by the Information Commissioner in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office has not been found in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 by the Information Commissioner in any of the last five years.

Departmental Manpower

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of staff in the Prime Minister's Office are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) from an ethnic minority,  (d) disabled and  (e) not heterosexual; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	The latest available data on the disability status and ethnic background of civil servants in the Cabinet Office are as at 30 September 2006 and are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) as 'Civil Service Statistics 2006'. This can be accessed from the following web-site address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/2006CivilServiceStatistics.pdf
	A copy has also been placed in the Library of the House.
	Declaration of ethnic background and disabled status is voluntary. The latest available data on the gender of civil servants are as at 31 December 2007 and are also published by ONS, as part of its wider Quarterly Public Sector Employment Statistics (QPSES). This can be accessed via the following web-site address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pse0308.pdf
	A copy has also been placed in the Library of the House.
	Information on civil servants' sexual orientation is not currently compiled or published.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the  (a) rate and  (b) cost was of employer contributions for each public-sector pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: Since the introduction of resource accounting in 1999-2000, the amount of the employer contributions made is published each year in the resource accounts of Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House. The amount of the employer contributions made for the years 1995-1996 (when the Cabinet Office became the scheme manager) to 1998-1999 is available in the Cabinet Office Appropriation Accounts, copies of which are also available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cash equivalent transfer value is of the public-sector pensions of the 10 highest paid members of staff in his Department and its executive agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The cash equivalent transfer value for the Department's most senior staff is set out in the departmental resource accounts that are published on the Cabinet Office website at
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/annualreport.aspx.
	Copies are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Departmental Vocational Training

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for what proportion of the staff of the Prime Minister's Office vocational training has been provided in the last three years.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office is committed to giving all its employees equal access to learning and development opportunities, and all staff are entitled to a minimum of five days' development each year.

Intelligence Services: Data Protection

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  whether any officials of  (a) M15,  (b) M16 and  (c) the Special Branch (i) have been suspended and (ii) have resigned following the loss of secret papers on 10 June 2008;
	(2)  following the loss of secret papers on 10 June 2008, if he will improve the arrangements for parliamentary scrutiny and oversight of the security and intelligence services; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the loss of secret papers on 10 June 2008.

Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made in the House on 12 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 485-494.

Migration

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the percentage change in net UK migration was in each of the last three years.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 17 June 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question about the percentage change in net UK migration in each of the last three years. (211983)
	The annual percentage changes, in UK immigration, emigration and net migration, are shown in the table below:
	
		
			   Inflow  Outflow  Net migration 
			   Number  Percentage change  Number  Percentage change  Number  Percentage change( 1) 
			 2003 508  -361  147  
			 2004 586 15 -342 -5 244 66 
			 2005 563 -4 -359 5 204 -16 
			 2006 591 5 -400 11 191 -6 
			 (l.) When analysing migration, ONS seeks to avoid using percentage changes in net migration, instead preferring to quote percentage changes of immigration and emigration data separately. Percentages based on the differences between immigration and emigration can give a misleading impression of the scale of change, particularly when net migration in the base year in the calculation is close to zero. 
		
	
	These are the latest available official estimates.

Parliament: By-Elections

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance exists on the conduct of civil servants, special advisers and Ministers during a parliamentary by-election period.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Secretary wrote to Departments on 8 May 2008 reminding them of the principles that apply to a constituency where a parliamentary by-election is taking place. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library of the House for the reference of Members.

Welsh Language

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent assessment he has made of the level of demand for the services provided by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office has recently reviewed the need to translate material into Welsh to inform its discussions with the Welsh Language Board about its Welsh language policy.
	Consideration is given to translating material into Welsh by the Cabinet Office and its non-departmental bodies when their activities in Wales involve direct dealings with the public. For example, the forms, publication and web pages associated with the recent campaign to encourage people to nominate ordinary people for honours were made available in Welsh.